Marketing Square

Attracting Clients With Incremental Marketing

2009-03-03T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Stuart Ayling

Do you ask prospective clients to go too far?

Must your new clients take a "leap of faith" when they engage you?

Or do you gradually draw them closer using a series of pre-planned contacts designed to address their concerns and build their trust in you.

Too many service providers wait for potential clients to take that leap of faith. And in doing so, they force their would-be clients into making an all-or-nothing choice.

Prospects either say, "Yes, we want you" or they never contact you.

This is a high-risk strategy for both your prospect and yourself. It is risky for your prospect because they could feel as though they have to make a decision before they feel comfortable about working with you. They haven't got to know you yet. Do they have all the information they need? How do they know if they do?

It's a risky position for you because all your effort in attracting a prospect is hanging on this one all-or-nothing decision. Have you spoken with your prospect and impressed them with your insight and expertise? Have you had a chance to understand what your prospect really wants to achieve? Probably not.

A more effective way to attract clients is to create a path of contact points. At each point you give your prospect a reason to proceed to the next point.

I call this "Incremental Marketing".

When you practice incremental marketing your focus should be on helping your prospects make incremental steps towards engaging you. At each step you build trust, enhance your credibility, and answer any concerns.

Get them to take the next step, not a leap of faith.

With this approach you'll also have the opportunity to explain how you work with clients and suggest the best starting point for that particular prospect, such as signing an agreement; conducting an evaluation or assessment; interviewing key stakeholders; making an appointment; conducting a demonstration etc.

Incremental marketing is about creating a structure for prospects to make smaller, safer steps towards finalising a commitment with you.

The "path of contact points" will vary from business to business, depending upon on the services you provide, and the type of clients you are working with.

Examples

A business management consultant may create this path:

1 - Article published in industry journal.

2 - Link to web site for more information.

3 - Contact page on web site (or a phone call/message from prospect).

4 - Personal contact #1 - initial discussion with prospect over telephone (or in person); and arrange appointment for detailed meeting.

5 - Send supporting documents (such as business profile or report).

6 - Personal contact #2 - meeting with prospect in person.

7 - After meeting provide service agreement, notice of engagement, or additional detail as required; suggest starting point.

8 - Client agrees to commence.

A computer support technician may create this path:

1 - Referral from client or networking contact.

2 - Personal contact #1 - by phone. Ring prospect to:

2a - Request meeting.

2b - Provide introductory information/background.

3 - Send additional written information via post or email (a report, profile, or link to web site information).

4 - Personal contact #2 - meeting with prospect. Discuss the clients computer environment; suggest a "System Diagnosis" as a starting point to identify areas that need attention.

5 - Client agrees to commence.

Remember, in most cases prospects are looking to minimise their risk in choosing a service provider. They want to feel secure with their decision. Incremental marketing helps you to work with human nature, instead of fighting against it.

Don't force prospects to take a leap of faith to choose you, because usually they won't.

Stuart Ayling runs Marketing Nous, an Australasian marketing consultancy that specialises in marketing for service businesses. He helps clients to improve their marketing tactics, attract more clients, and increase revenue. Stuart also offers telephone consultations and runs regular marketing seminars. For additional marketing resources, including Stuart's popular monthly newsletter, visit his web site at http://www.marketingnous.com.au.

7 Surefire Ways To Make A Positive Impression With Your Business Cards

2009-03-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Calvin Golden

What does your business card say about you? Most of the time, it is not as positive or business-building as you think. Do not, under any circumstances, under estimate the power of your business card. Follow these sure-fire branding tips to transform your business card into a marketing and branding power-house.

1) Stick with the standard size

Larger format or odd shaped cards can be rather unwieldy and cumbersome. A Standard size card will definately be easier for your prospective clients or business partners to put in a business card holder.

2) Consider offset printing

Though digital printing is cheaper if you need less than 1,000 business cards, you may want to choose the design options and greater variety of color that offset printing can provide.

And if you are printing more than 1,000 cards, the cost difference between offset and digital printing is negliable.

3) Have a logo professionally designed

A logo is like your fingerprint or face. It is a unique representation of your business.

What ever you do, do not use clipart, which is the easy route. Clip art is not a logo! It is used by vaious kinds of businesses, and does not aid in distinguishing yours at all.

4) Choose high-quality paper.

Today's standard for business cards is 100- to 110-pound paper stock. You should use the type of paper that is common in your industry.

Glossy stock is most often used by people in entertainment- related businesses. Those with more of a corporate type of business usually use matte stock.

5) Use the back of your card.

By all means do not neglect the back of your business card. You can have marketing tools scuh as maps to help customers find your establishment.

Another trick that you can use to embellish the back is your own unique logo.

6) Keep the design simple.

This is where the K.I.S.S. principle really comes into play. Try to avoid making your business card looking cluttered or confusing.

Basic contact information, and maybe your slogan or other marketing message, should suffice.

7)Embellish the card

Embossing or hot foil stamping are expensive, but may be worth the cost. anything that makes your card stand out and lessens the chance of it being thrown out is a great business expense and will pay out in the long run.

These 7 simple steps will surely improve the marketability and networking prowess of your business cards.

Cal Golden is a business owner, Internet marketer and webmaster of Business Card Primer. For cutting-edge news, tips, and information on how to get the most out of the marketing and networking power of your business cards, be sure to visit http://www.businesscardprimer.com

Marketing Tools For Successgetting Back To Basics

2009-03-01T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Melinda Salzer

Much of today's business world focuses on technology and how it can help us be more profitable and productive. As a result, basic marketing principles tend to get overlooked. The most effective way to help you get back on track is to review your Marketing Basicsthe foundation for business success.

Marketing Basics refers to the 4 P's-- Product, Price, Place & Promotion. It's essential that all elements be in balance, because they all lead back to the same thingYour Customers!

Here are some questions you should be asking yourself.

Product

Are you offering any new products/services?

Does your product/service need improvement?

Do you offer any warrantees/guarantees?

Price

Is your price justifiable?

Is it profitable?

Are you priced competitively?

Place

Are your distribution channels effective?

Are you adding locations?

Are you selling on the Internet? Should you be?

Promotion

Do consumers know about your products/services?

Is your advertising reaching your potential customers?

Do your marketing materials need updating?

When all 4 P's are coordinated, your marketing and sales efforts will be more effective and you will create higher levels of success. Additionally, it's important to review these aspects of your business on a yearly basis, which will help you maintain your competitive edge, keep your customers happy and ensure that your business stays on the right track.

Melinda Salzer is Vice President and co-owner of Advanced Information Services, Inc., a software and marketing consulting firm. Melinda works with small and medium-sized businesses to help them achieve business growth and success through targeted marketing programs. She also conducts a series of workshops called "Speaking of Marketing", which cover a wide range of marketing topics. Melinda is the founding President of the Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the winner of the 2005 Greater Media's Greater Women of Central Jersey Award--Business Category. She recently successfully completed her first triathlon. She can be reached at 732-617-1499. Please visit her websites at www.advinfoserv.com and www.speakingofmarketing.com.

Everything Is Marketing Is Everything

2009-02-28T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Georg Michael Richter

Whatever we do as individuals especially also when acting for a company -, it will characterize us in the public/with our clients.

Whether it is

* the receptionist on the phone,

* the production manager,

* the driver of a company car,

* a field representative, or

* the owner/CEO himself ...

... all that 'impresses' the public - even a very good advertising campaign can not really be successful against this ! (whereas 'advertising' is often misunderstood/misinterpreted as being all of 'marketing').

Examples:

1. The receptionist - or whoever talks on the phone - is polite or unpolite - the client/ caller will be impressed 2. The manager of the production department is arrogant, or not - the supplier possibly talks about it during his cracker barrel or may be even being with a competitor 3. The driver of a labelled company car takes the priority from someone - possibly it was the best client !? 4. A slovenly dressed and arrogant field representative - who doesn't identify with the problems of the client (or even makes unbearable promises) - wants to be successful with a client - I can't believe this, even if the client urgently needs a product comparable to ours

5. Happened some days ago: An arrogant editor in chief doesn't answer a question correctly during a panel discussion but insists on his 'political view' - what happens, if this influences his readers !?

and much more.

... marketing is everything

I like this example:

Imagine you could produce gold (artificial and not to be used for jewelry but a perfect replacement for industrial purposes) at the price of copper and you want to sell it - with a very good profit - at the price of silver.

You would not sell it if nobody knew it !!

Big advertising campaigns or similar action would lead in this case possibly only to some kind of unbelief or would initiate a 'run' (of unwanted and not suitable clients) respectively which we could not live with/reply orderly to.

Consequently it would be necessary to sell this gold especially to such clients who barely need it for their products.

And ... all the ways to them - ideally in whatever region of this world - are known by the marketing department (see >> 'Marketing ~#~ sales'- www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/news/selling-versus-marketing__8.htm)

* from market analysis and market segmentation, via

* the choice of the selling route accepted by such clients and the 'right' pricing, to

* talking to the customer, knowing/acknowledging HIS problems

and much more.

Of course this is impossible without the development department (describing the possibilities to use 'the artificial gold'), and the production department (being responsible for a permanently perfect quality)

and

of course all such things are very much depending on the company itself as we cannot generalize them, but provided everything is in order,

to get the 'right' client, in the 'suitable' market segment/s, and the 'right' requirements, which can be fulfilled by us ... you need Marketing

IMHO:

Everything is ... marketing ... is everything

With more than 30 years practical experience in marketing in/to all 5 continents I offer assistance and/or training in internationalizing >> market research, marketingplan, practical implementation - Europe and/or worldwide on the spot

Good News Travels Fast

2009-02-27T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Keith Thirgood

This newsletter is full of opportunities staring you in the face. If you don't believe me, write and tell me so--and by doing that you'd be proving me right.

That would make you a proactive marketer: spotting a marketing opportunity in an everyday activity.

For instance: Something most of us do every day is read the paper, and though they may not seem like business issues at first glance, editorials or news items offer one of those marketing opportunities. How does that merger, government legislation, tax increase, tornado--or whatever--affect your business, your industry, your clients? Take a position on the subject, and write a letter to the editor to tell them. Include your company name in the body of the letter. Readers often give more credence to opinions of business leaders, and it gets your name out there.

Act immediately. After reading the paper, set aside some time to respond. Then go over your response carefully. (It's easy to fire off a letter, but you might regret sending something not fully thought out.)

Your letters may not be used every time, but when one is, it goes a long way to building your image as an expert.

Another marketing opportunity arises when you see an article that might be of interest to one of your clients. Clip and send it to them with a note. Even if they've already seen it, your client will appreciate the gesture. It shows you take them and their business seriously.

That was easy. Now, what about all those items that don't directly relate to you or your existing clients? Some may mean more to you than you think.

Electronic or print, the news media are chock full of marketing information. As you read, watch or listen, be prepared to capture vital information. Pen and paper by your side can't hurt. Every day, companies you should be prospecting appear in the news. Jot down the spokesperson's name and title; if you're lucky the report may even provide a number to call. Companies like putting their people in front of the media (because they can say all the positive things about themselves the media won't). Pick out the companies you are interested in marketing to, and call them.

The news item doesn't have to be a positive story; the negative ones may hold more opportunity. However, don't assume a company facing tough decisions automatically wants you. They may react quite nastily to that assumption.

The person in the news story may not be the right one to discuss your ideas with, but they are an in, so contact them first. When you call, mention where you saw or heard them, make some positive comment on the coverage, then quickly move on to the reason for your call. They will appreciate knowing how their PR is working, and will, no doubt, feel that you're not wasting their time with insubstantial chit chat.

From this point, the call becomes like any other exploratory sales call.

You can't afford to sit on these opportunities. News has a short shelf life. Because of the number of news items we are bombarded with, you should only focus on a couple at a time. Don't worry if you miss some, we are fed a constant stream of potentially useful information, so you'll never run out of targets.

It's hard enough to keep on top of daily events pertinent to your field. It's harder still, when using them for their marketing potential, to stay up to date, and to act quickly. But it's vital, because with marketing, timing is everything.

Opportunities lie on every page and in every broadcast. Your success in using them for marketing depends on their relevancy to your field, and on your ability to act quickly.

Use the news to turn yourself into a proactive marketer.

Keith Thirgood, Creative Director

Capstone Communications Group

Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing

http://www.capstonecomm.com/

Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330

Subscribe to Thrive-on-line http://list.capstonecomm.com/mail.cgi?f=list&l=thrive_on_line

Advertising Campaigns That Get Results

2009-02-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Charlie Cook

"Advertising doesn't work." I hear it from my clients all the time. One client was about to file for bankruptcy because she wasn't getting a good response to her radio ads, and the cost was killing her. But she knew her target market was listening; she knew she needed to get her name out there to generate more business. What should she do?

Owners of small businesses and professionals like yourself realize that to take your business to the next level, you need to get your products and services in front of a larger audience. You want to generate more leads, get more prospects to contact you and buy from you. Advertising is essential but how do you get more out of your advertising dollars?

Have you been disappointed by your advertising campaigns?

I felt the same way about my family's VCR. I paid good money for it (though probably not nearly as much as most people pay for advertising) and as far as I was concerned I could never get it to work the way I wanted it to. I spent way too much time fiddling with it and I still couldn't get it to record a TV show or a movie reliably when I was away. After a while I stopped trying to use its record function.

Sound familiar?

Compared to programming a VCR, creating a successful advertising campaign is simple. Note the operative word here is "successful". It's easy to put together an advertising campaign, but creating one that helps you make more than you spend should be the objective. The following seven elements are what separate a successful advertising campaign from one that just costs you money.

Elements of A Successful Advertising Campaign

1. Choose the media that will reach your target market. It sounds obvious, but make sure your target audience will see and/or hear your ad. Select a publication or radio or cable station that your target audience reads or tunes to. If you're advertising on the web, your keyword selection is critical here.

2. Write ad copy that your prospects will want to read. Your prospects' primary interest is in what your product or service will do for them, not what it actually is. Which would you be more likely to read, a headline that reads, "Accounting Services" or one that reads, "How to Avoid Overpaying Your Taxes"?

3. Have others establish your credibility. If space allows, include testimonials in your ad verifying the outstanding results your products and services generate.

4. Motivate prospects to contact you Include a limited-time offer or something for free a report, appraisal or bonus product to prompt your prospects to take action.

5. Tell prospects what you want them to do and how to do it. This is your "call to action". Tell them to call you, visit your web site, send you an email, fill in the reply card, etc.

6. Follow up your offer with the information prospects need to make a purchase. Too many people make the mistake at this point in the sales process of launching into a s.ales pitch. Whether your prospect is on the phone with you or is visiting your web site, help them clarify the problem or concern they have and detail the solution you provide. Then remind them what action you want them to take.

7. Continue to educate your prospects and clients. Stay in touch with likely prospects by contacting them at least every month. Get the conversation going by discussing a common problem. Give your prospects a quick tip they can use and, of course, mention the solutions you provide.

A successful advertising campaign will include all seven of the above elements, not just one or two. When you put all these elements in place, your advertising will generate more leads and sales and you'll see a good return on your advertising dollars.

By the way, the client who came to me on the verge of bankruptcy is now back on solid financial ground. Once she understood how to write her advertising copy and manage her advertising campaigns, her radio advertising started to bring in a steady stream of new business.

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

Part 1 Of 4 How To Create An Effective Church Ministry Marketing Plan

2009-02-25T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Christopher B. Nelson-Jeffers

Does your church or ministry have an Evangelism plan? How effective are you at reaching prospective worshippers and members? Here are the four steps you MUST follow if you want to kick-start your growth for the next 12 months ...

"Evangelism" vs. "Church Ministry Marketing"

To a great number of pastors and other leaders in the church, the terms "church" and "marketing" hardly belong in the same article, much less in the same sentence, and never NEVER together.

To many people, the term "marketing" instantly brings to mind slick, expensive corporate advertising campaigns, with sleazy, fast-talking salesmen, manipulating honest, hard-working consumers into buying things they don't want, don't need, and can't afford.

While it is certainly true that there are some secular marketers like that, it is also true that there are some ministers, churches and "religious" movements like that as well - though they are thankfully, by-and-large, the exception and not the rule.

In fact, in the minds of many people, the term "Evangelist" itself often means precisely what the term "Salesman" means: a slick, fast-talking huckster manipulating weak-minded people with high-pressure tactics and mesmerizing language, calling upon them to "donate generously" to his "ministry", a ministry that is little more than a elaborately-veiled scam.

Secular Evangelism and Church Ministry Marketing

When you examine the issue carefully and objectively, you will note that at their root, church or ministry evangelism and secular marketing have much the same purpose and intent - that is, to literally "get the word out" to the people, to create an awareness of a product or service in the minds of potential customers (or in the case of churches, of worshippers and members), and to encourage in them a motivating desire to buy or participate.

By definition, "Evangelism" is "the preaching or zealous spreading [of Christianity], especially through the activities of evangelists". It also refers to "a crusading zeal, great enthusiasm, or fervor for a particular cause [i.e. Christianity]". [source: Websters College Dictionary, Encarta English Dictionary).

The term "evangelism" itself is revealing. The root, "evangel" is derived from the Latin "evangelium" and the Greek "euangelos", which means, quite literally, "well messenger" ("eu" meaning "well", and "angelos" meaning "messenger"), or - the "bringer of good news".

Church Ministry Marketing and the "Great Commission"

The "Great Commission" of Christianity, according to the Gospel writer Matthew, is to "go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you ..." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Thus in a sense, the biblical imperative asserted by Matthew, is to "go forth and spread the Good News of Christianity to as many people as possible". What is this, if not a form of marketing?

"Marketing", in the secular world, is defined as "the business activity of presenting products or services to potential customers in such a way as to make them eager to buy ..." [source: Encarta English Dictionary] or alternately "all business activity involved in the moving of goods and/or services from the producer to the consumer, including selling, advertising, packaging, etc..." [source: Websters College Dictionary].

Marketing means, basically, matching a product or service with a human need or desire. In the words of one successful secular marketer, marketing is simply the process of "finding the people who need what you are selling, and making sure they buy it!"

Evangelism, Church Ministry Marketing, and The Art of Persuasion

All marketing involves an element of persuasion ... of convincing those who are not our customers to become our customers by buying our product or service.

It also involves persuading current customers to continue to purchase our service or product, in the face of a world of possible alternatives.

Evangelism involves persuasion as well . . . namely, persuading those who are not followers or believers of Christian faith to become disciples, and to accept and practice a Christian paradigm.

It may also mean persuading those who are nominally Christian by way of culture and/or family, to pro-actively commit (or re-commit) themselves to the Christian faith journey.

And like marketing, evangelism seeks to persuade current disciples and believers to continue upon that path, in the face of a world of possible alternatives.

So, in combining the two seemingly unrelated concepts, we can define "church ministry marketing" as "all activities of [the church] involved with the presentation of [the faith or denominational paradigm] in such a way as to make people eager to participate and to become disciples and believers, or to continue to be active participants in [the church] ... including activities such as "outreach evangelism" (selling), advertising, public relations, facilities and program (packaging), etc ..."

Does your pastor's mind balk and choke a little at the melding of these two reputedly disparate concepts of the secular and religious worlds? You are not alone.

Yet why shouldn't religious leaders look to and emulate the most successful methods of the secular business world, as long as those methods are congruent with the spiritual and moral values of the church?

Church Ministry Marketing and the Art of Communication

At its root, marketing is all about communication. So is evangelism. Communication occurs in many ways, from the words that we write or speak, to how we package ourselves and our church; the clothes that we wear, our haircut, our grooming, the facilities we build, the program we develop, and how we maintain them.

Today's modern age provides a WEALTH of potential communication tools and resources, from newspapers and magazines, radio, television, direct mail, printed materials, voice and video recordings, telephone, personal contact facilitated by our modern transportation conveyances, to the rapidly-expanding cyber-resource of the Internet, email, websites, RSS, and more!

Along with these developments of course come many challenges. People are much more educated, sophisticated, and media-savvy, and are much more aware of the wide, wide world of options and possibilities available to them.

The days when you could roll into town and set up a wagon or tent, and have people come in for miles around just to hear you speak, are mostly gone. People now expect clean, modern, well-maintained facilities, with good heating, air-conditioning, good lighting, handicap elevators, a professional staff, professional-looking materials, and a well-developed program.

Most people will no longer sit still for the "hard sell" or the spiritual guilt-trip. Nor will they participate in church "just because" the church is there, or because they grew up there, or because their mothers and fathers did. People today want options, and they want spiritual experiences that "speak" to them in clear and personally relevant ways.

Next: What People Want From Their Church ...

Christopher B. Nelson-Jeffers is CEO of Breckshire Communications, which offers a free Church Growth Newsletter and articles to churches interested in church ministry development. He may be contacted at http://Double-Your-Church-Attendance.com

Popup Displays Are Versatile And Economical Display Systems

2009-02-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rick Hendershot

PopUp Displays are currently the most common form of low priced trade show and event display. They are used extensively for trade shows, in-store displays, conventions and even political events to create an attractive backdrop. They are so popular because they are very reasonably priced, and can be set up and taken down in minutes.

A typical popup displays has only two main components, with a number of other popup display accessories available from most suppliers. The main part of a popup display is the folding frame. This frame is like the skeleton of the display and is normally made of either fibreglass or alumnimum tubes.

Once the frame is erected it is covered with display panels -- either velcro-ready fabric panels that come in a variety of colors, or graphic panels made of a material like Duralex. These are durable lexan panels that have already been printed using a high resolution large format printing process.

When shipped the frame is folded down to a unit approximately 8" square by 30" wide. When it is unfolded, this unit "pops up" to create a frame approximately 8' (or 10') wide by about 8' high. The frame itself normally weighs about 15 lbs. When erected like this it is stable enough to sit on the floor. Usually no anchoring or external support is required.

The panels that cover the frame are either made of a special fabric that accepts velcro, or they are printed graphic panels. They are normally about 30" wide by 8' high. There are usually between 4 and 8 panels required to cover the frame, with extra "end cap" panels made of the same material to wrap around the ends of the frame.

The panels are flexible enough to be rolled up so they fit in the lightweight carrying case that comes with the display. They are usually mounted on the frame by means of magentic strips applied to their back surface. These magnetic strips adhere to the magnetized bars that are part of the skeleton frame. The display becomes even more stable once the panels are put in place.

If your popup display has printed graphic panels, then it is complete once the panels are in place on the frame. If you use fabric panels, then you will probably have a number of graphics that are adhered to the fabric with velcro strips. These graphics can be printed on a flexible lexan material, or they can be flexible vinyl -- essentially indoor vinyl banners. You can also use graphics that are printed on paper and laminated so they are both flexible and durable. The prerequisite for graphic panels is that they are able to be rolled and unrolled many times without breaking down, creasing, or fallin apart.

Often the display is finished off with two or three halogen lights that attach to the top of the frame and illuminate your graphics.

The entire display is constructed so all part will fit into a sturdy, lightweight carrying case. This carrying case usually has wheels so it can be moved from location to location by one person. And the carrying case often doubles as a podium or display counter, often decorated with wrap-around graphics that match those used on the popup display.

A normal case for an 8' or 10' display is small enough to fit in the trunk or back seat of most cars. The entire package, including the display case usually weighs around 40 lbs., depending on the type of graphics and accessories included.

One of the major advantages of popup displays is the ease with which they can be setup and taken down. Usually a popup display can be assembled by one person of average height in about 20 minutes. If you are shorter than about 5'6" you may need a small ladder to reach the top. Normally a chair works too.

If a popup display seems like overkill for your display situation, you may want to consider an alternative like a number of Banner Stands or retractable displays. These units come in their own lightweight "over the shoulder" carrying cases and can normally be set up in less than one or two minutes.

No matter what your special display marketing requirements are you are likely to find an economical display unit that is both portable and easy to install, and will greatly enhance the impact of your marketing efforts.

Rick Hendershot does online promotion | Popup Displays - Display Graphics | Trade Show Displays - Portable trade show booths, banner stands.

Create Ad Layouts That Get Response Rates That Will Blow Your Mind

2009-02-23T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Alex Barrington

How important is the layout of a print ad? Well, considering that most small businesses spend the majority of their marketing budget on display ads (aka print ads), the layout is critical. This is especially important because display ads almost never bring the anticipated and much needed results desired by business owners and marketers. There are many "industry secrets" you need to know to get the response you need to make a profit from a display ad.

What does that mean to you? It means if you are going to run an ad in newspapers, magazines, event programs, or anywhere else, you want to know how to maximize your opportunity and investment by designing the ad for maximum response. You also need to know how to place an ad for maximum response.

The following tips will prove VERY valuable to you...

ALWAYS use a dark black thick border around your ad. It will draw the reader's eye to your ad without the expense of two colors and without paying for larger ads

Whenever possible, on the outside of the thick dark black border, use dashed lines like those typically seen around coupons. At the psychological level, this border implies a value or savings in your display ad.

And speaking of coupons, use a coupon or other direct offer (free special report, free consultation, etc.) in every display ad; this is active, direct marketing - USE IT EVERY TIME!

DON'T LET THE PUBLICATION'S STAFF DESIGN YOUR DISPLAY AD OR WRITE YOUR COPY! Typically they have sales people do this work -- and let's face it, they are sales people, not Brilliant Marketers. Use the ad layout you create in this course.

Commit to running the ad a MINIMUM of seven times - in the same place... and don't change it up much. That is the most effective way to get the maximum number of new customers and return on your investment. IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO RUN THE DISPLAY AD SEVEN TIMES... DON'T RUN IT AT ALL... use your marketing dollars on other activities.

Although larger ads statistically pull better response rates, if you design your display ad as recommended in this lesson, you can get the higher response rates using the smaller, less expensive ads

Run your ads on the days you are open and/or the days that will target your market; for example, Wednesdays are typically the day food is featured, Monday is sports, and Fridays are entertainment focused

Every ad should contain your benefits and features, a coupon or other direct call to action (yes, I know I am repeating that - but it is important), borders (same), contact information, a map or major crossroads, your URL, headlines, testimonials, picture or graphic (if space allows), and rapport messages

INSIST that you ad is placed in the front section of the newspaper on the right-hand side, on the top half; for the same money this statistically pulls a higher response

Do not use ALL CAPS in your ad; they are hard to read. If you absolutely have - and I mean just have to - use them, do so sparingly

Ads with people in them typically pull a higher readership rate; photographs are statistically more effective than drawings or clipart graphics and photographs of babies pull the absolute highest readership rates

Okay - there you have it... a good number of really valuable tips to immediately improve your response rates when using print (display) ads.

Alex Barrington, author of Brilliant Marketing! specializes in providing micro-businesses and start-ups the most practical, valuable marketing information available. To maximize this opportunity for all, Alex has created The Brilliant Marketing! System; to get a copy of the free ebook by the same title, click into http://www.brilliant-marketing-for-small-business.com/brilliant-marketing-free-download.html

101 Life Lessons Learned From Wearing A Nametag 247

2009-02-22T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Scott Ginsberg

On April 24th, 2006, I took the day off to celebrate and reflect on the past 2000 days of wearing a nametag 24-7.

I challenged myself to come up with a list of 101 Life Lessons Learned. It wasn't easy, but I finally finished the list this morning.

I was always told, "Don't tell 'em what you did, tell 'em what you learned."

Therefore, here are 101 life lessons I've learned from wearing a nametag 24-7 for the past 2000 days. Enjoy!

1. Friendly always wins.
2. Be the first one.
3. Be the only one.
4. Be a sleeper.
5. Be interesting.
6. Be UNFORGETTABLE.
7. Be the world's expert on yourself.
8. Be somebody who reminds everybody of nobody else in the world.
9. It's really hard to beat up a stranger if you know his name.
10. Nametags are NOT about you. They're about everyone in the world except you. Don't boycott them. Wear your nametag for other people. Always.
11. Jack Canfield was right: if everybody says you're out of your mind, you just might be onto something.
12. Everybody is somebody's somebody.
13. Never wear a nametag into a strip club.
14. Never wash your shirt with a nametag still stuck on it.
15. Never use your older brother's fake ID to get into a bar and then forget to take off your nametag at the door.
16. If the Washington Post calls you "The World's Foremost Authority On Nametags," you may as well take it.
17. Don't be different, be unique.
18. You are what you charge.
19. Market yourself daily.
20. Nametags will not get you dates. If you're a jerk, not even a nametag will make you approachable.
21. Find a way to give yourself away.
22. If you want 10,000 free nametags, you can always drop the name of the company that manufactures them on CNN.
23. The greatest compliment someone could ever give you is: "Thanks for being yourself."
24. Do not despise the day of small beginnings.
25. Find a daily ritual.
26. Get a job that people couldn't pay you NOT to do.
27. Nerds, dorks and geeks rule this world.
28. Give people permission to talk to you.
29. It's not easy to be yourself.
30. Figure out exactly who you are and then go be that person every day.
31. Find a way to paint yourself in a good corner.
32. Everyone has at least one big idea.
33. Own a word.
34. Be that guy.
35. Confidence is king.
36. If you really want to show (not tell) people that you're committed to an idea, you can always tattoo that idea on your chest. They'll never doubt you again.
37. The world cannot resist a man on a mission.
38. Intentional Discomfort is the greatest teacher of all.
39. Everybody should write a book.
40. Life is not about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself.
41. Validate your existence on a daily basis.
42. Do something cool on a daily basis.
43. There's nothing more approachable than authenticity.
44. Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.
45. Don't be selfish with your knowledge.
46. Just because the Today Show sends a camera crew to St. Louis to follow you around all day doesn't mean they will actually air your segment. Jerks.
47. You don't know intimidation until you've given a speech to 300 people who are twice your age, have three times your experience and know four times as much as you do.
48. You are an empty sheet of paper in the minds of people you encounter.
49. You have less than three seconds to create a first impression.
50. Hate mail is a gift, even if it's true.
51. Indiana Jones was right: it's not the years, it's the mileage. 52. If you don't have a blog, you're a putz.
53. If you don't carry your business cards with you wherever you go, you're a putz.
54. Make daily appointments with yourself.
55. Everyone has a story. And everyone wants to tell that story. So ask them.
56. Smiling will never get you in trouble.
57. If someone is wearing a nametag, use their name. It makes them feel great.
58. It's impossible to be too friendly.
59. It's not cool to be an asshole.
60. It's impossible to be too friendly.
61. If a strange man named Stephen starts calling you every single day for three weeks, it's probably a good idea to remove your home phone number from your website.
62. If a strange man named Stephen starts showing up at your office, it's probably a good idea to get a new job.
63. Tom Peters was right: dull encounters = dull you; cool encounters = cool you.
64. Stop worrying about which side of you chest to wear a nametag. Nobody cares. They only care if they can read your name from ten feet away.
65. You'd be surprised how many strangers will grab, touch, poke and molest your chest (and therefore violate your personal space) if you wear a nametag.
66. When people ask you, "So, what do you do?" make your answer memorable, valuable and unique. If their response isn't "Hmm, that's interesting" or "Cool!" you need to rework your answer. Remember, even the most boring jobs can be explained in an UNFORGETTABLE way.
67. Authenticity, not charisma.
68. Fans, not customers.
69. Never underestimate the power of approachability.
70. People buy people first.
71. Find a way to make people stop, think and say, "Wow!"
72. Create encounters that otherwise would not have existed.
73. The best way to make someone feel comfortable is through self-disclosure.
74. Never apologize for your art.
75. Respect people's no's.
76. The best swimmers are always in the pool.
77. Find a way to keep yourself visually accountable. Wear a piece of jewelry that symbolizes a personal value; tattoo a credo on your wrist, whatever. Anything to keep you consistent. For me, it's really hard to be a jerk to someone else when I'm wearing a nametag, which I do 24-7. Which means I can't be a jerk. (Good!) What about you?
78. Mother Theresa was right: people don't remember what you said; they only remember how you made them feel.
79. Break the silence. Every day.
80. If you don't smile, they won't believe you.
81. If you build it, they (might) come.
82. What's in a name? Everything. Your character. Your life. Your brand. Your values.
83. If you walk into a hotel on New Year's Day wearing a nametag on the tuxedo you slept in, people are probably going to say something.
84. If a two year old girl walks up to you in the middle of Starbucks, smiles and points at your nametag, it's best to peel it off and stick it to her hand. Trust me on this one.85. Boredom is the enemy.
86. In the history of the world, nobody has ever yelled at another person for "Communicating too much."
87. Don't try to impress. Inspire first. Then people WILL be impressed.
88. Steve Pressfield was right: when people see you begin to live your authentic lives, it drives them crazy because they're not living their own.
89. If you wear a nametag around Mexico, locals will more than likely smile at you and simply say, "Mr. Escott!"
90. If you wear a nametag around Switzerland, locals will more than likely smile and you and simply say, "Bonjour Scott!"
91. And if you wear a nametag around New York City, locals will more than likely not smile and simply say, "Get the hell out of my way, Scott." 92. Some people are just not friendly.
93. If you get an email out of the blue from someone who just saw you speak and he said, "Your speech changed my life," you're probably doing a good job.
94. If you get an email out of the blue from someone who said, "You're nuttier than a bag of trail mix," you're definitely doing a good job.
95. Coming up with a list of 101 Life Lessons Learned from Wearing a Nametag 24-7 for the Past 2000 Days is pretty hard.
96. Which is why I'm running short on ideas.
97. (Well, almost.)
98. I saved the three most important ones for the end...

99. If a 7 year old kid says he wants to be an author - then 15 years later actually becomes an author he's probably doing the right thing with his life.

100. If a 19 year old kid wins an award for "The Speaker You Could Listen to For Hours," then actually becomes a professional speaker 4 years later, he's definitely doing the right thing with his life.

101. And if all of that stuff happened to him simply because he decided to wear a nametag 24-7 to make people friendlier, there must be a God.

LET ME ASK YA THIS... What was the single biggest learning experience of your life?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS... Compile a list of 101 Life Lessons Learned from that experience and email it to me!

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker and the author of HELLO my name is Scott, The Power of Approachability and How To Be That Guy. He helps people MAXIMIZE their personal and professional approachability - one conversation at a time. To book Scott for your next association meeting, conference or corporate event, contact Front Porch Productions at 314/256-1800 or email scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Realtor Directory Posting Tips

2009-02-21T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Bill Nadraszky

If you were to build the greatest web page in the world but did not link back and forth to any other webpage then no search engine would find you and therefore no web surfer would ever find you. The way to fix this is to make sure that every chance you get you go and put your website address inside a website so that it can be seen by a search engine and also eventually by a buyer or seller. If you have a lot of links from other sites to yours then the search engines trust your site more and move you higher in the rankings for your pages most prominent keywords. In the search engine optimization world these links are called backlinks. There are two kind of links, The links between two sites when I link to you and you link to me, this is called reciprocal links, and the other kind which is just when I link to you, this type of link is the most coveted and hard to get as the other site must like yours enough to link to it.

As I have started a realtor directory to give Realtors another place to list their websites and weblogs I thought it would be a good time to let people know more ways to add strength to the weight that search engines will give to your website. A directories main function to the Realtor is to give the Realtor another link on the internet to know about his or her website.

Now that you know why it is important to list yourself in directories the next step is to find them. Do a search at Google, Yahoo and MSN and get yourself listed in all of the Realtor directories you can find.

Here are some things to think about when listing yourself in Realtor Directories:

Use your site name with the first letter of each word capitalized, this will make your listing stand out against a sea of other listings.
Make sure that your description is not selling you but instead listing benefits of your site...remember that you will probably have to be brief so look at your site and pick out the highlights someone would see on your Realtor website.
Remember that the directory listing is like a small advertisement for your website not you, your entry in the Realtor directory is only to entice the reader to click on the link to let the website sell you as a Realtor that can be trusted.
Make the link that is being published, probably the title, be the term you want to rank well with in the search engines. eg: real estate, or Realtor.
Think carefully about what page that you want to have as the page people will get to, do you want it to be your home page?, a current listings page?, or a Realtor bio type page.
Finally proofread and make sure that there are no spelling mistakes in the Realtor directory entry.

If you have a site and are wondering why there are not more people finding it, or if you are not ranked very high on some of the search engines than I hope this little directory primer has been a good eye opener for you to get more exposure to your site or weblog.

Bill Nadraszky is a serial marketer and a pro for Realtor Marketing. If you are looking for internet marketing articles please visit my site.

Fame How To Become A Local Celebrity

2009-02-20T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Simone Kelly-Brown

1. Know your target market and have them feel comfortable with you! Understand what they need and want so that you can give it to them and THEN some. Having a "story" is extremely important as well, in many cases people want to identify with you. Maybe you accomplished something they are trying to and you are their inspiration. Tell them about it. Don' t be shy. If you were in an abusive relationship, WRITE ABOUT IT, talk about it.

If you just overcame a serious illness and found ways to overcome it by changing your diet, SHARE IT! If you were in debt and now you're a big BALLER, tell 'em how you got there! FIND THEIR PROBLEM AND HELP THEM SOLVE IT! We love information-- heck you' re getting some right now aren't ya?

2. Do Something that Counts!

Being fabulous is cute, but what are you doing for your community that makes people remember you? Host an event, volunteer; speak on topics that will uplift those in your area.

3. Continue to Build Up Your Fan Base:

Collect contact info like it's nobodies business. Every event that you have or attend, you should be collecting names, e-mails, and mailing addresses. Don't walk away missing out on potentially new clients, customers, followers, fans, etc.

For those in the music industry for example, I can't tell you how many times I've been to a show and then realized they didn't' even have anyone collecting email addresses or business cards. It's a wasted opportunity! You need to stay in contact with these folks who could later come to another show and buy your CD online!

4. Get out the house and WORK THAT ROOM BABY!

Learn how to find interesting networking events online. Go where your target market is, not necessarily where your peers are. Read this article titled Work That Room, Baby for more info and simple tips to make networking easier for you on our website

5. Do local cable, TV, or even get your own Internet Radio Show! Start researching cable access shows in your area by calling your local cable company. Cable is very inexpensive and many folks are shocked when they find out the rates!

Why not start your own Internet Radio show by going here for more info: http://radio.about.com/od/createinternetradio/a/aa100604a.htm?terms=internet+radio+show

I sat down with a Give 'N Take attendee Jude Gorgopa, Founder of Clout Et Cetera, Inc. to ask her what she thought about the topic since she is an expert in getting clout. She had these points to add to the list.

6. Have Authentic Personal Style:

Becoming a local celebrity is a lot easier than you may think! Having star quality is more a matter of over-all impression than actual looks so having a knockout first impression is one giant step to stardom. What message is your image sending? Before you even open your mouth, you need to have a positive and memorable impact on people. Having authentic personal style can give you the clout to open doors to places that would otherwise remain locked or take years to enter. It's amazing how charm, grace, and confidence can get you to the front of the line. You don't have to be rich or wear expensive clothes. It's all in how you work it! That's star quality.

7. Keep yourself in front of people!

Speak at events, participate in fundraising, go to networking events, get cards printed and hand them out and make sure to take advantage of photo ops and auditions. There's no room for fear! Get known for being the professional and wonderful person that you are. It's a hard fact that even if someone is really interested in you, they will rarely call you back. You must keep on top of your contacts and constantly develop new ones, focusing on those that will help you get to where you want to go. The most important advice is to be kind to everyone on your way up, from the receptionists to the doormen to the assistants, because you never know who you'll meet on the way down!

8. Anyone can develop a signature style.

It takes time and it takes courage, but it can be done. Finding yourself as a person has a lot to do with finding your personal style as the whole process is to basically bring the inward outward. It's not enough to get a makeover when the old attitudes are still attached. It's like putting fresh icing on a stale cake. If you're going through a major transition in your life and exploring new options, you're feeling lost and confused or just plain bored, it helps to have a coach on hand to help direct you to your goals and the image to go along with them.

Jude L. Gorgopa, author, motivational speaker, life/career coach, total image consultant, and trainer is the President/Founder of Clout Et Cetera, Inc., an image and lifestyle resource for individuals, groups, and businesses that can change your attitude, your career, and your life. Look out for her upcoming book, 'The Fundamentals of Clout: Volume One. A Woman's Portable Guide to the Power of Personal Style' is now available from our website. A percentage of the sale price will be donated to charity. For more information on services and events, please visit us @ http://www.cloutetcetera.com or e-mail jude@cloutetc.com.

Simone Kelly-Brown is author and founder of Gots To Have It, Marketing, a firm that specializes in marketing and empowering entrepreneurs with a series of workshops and networking events. Please view her company web sites here: http://:http://www.gotstohaveit.com and http://www.giventakenetwork.org.

How To Get Celebrities To Endorse Your Product

2009-02-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Louis Allport

How would you like celebrities to endorse your product?

Perhaps that sounds crazy. Well, here's the info...

But before anything else - let me stress that when I say "celebrities", I'm not talking about Tiger Woods or Tom Cruise!

Who I'm talking about is celebrities in YOUR market. People who are very highly thought of and well known in the market you're selling to. People who your target market look up to.

Take this real life example:

An online publisher named Alex was just about to launch an information product revealing psychological sales tactics.

However, even though his product was of the very highest quality, Alex was looking for something "extra" that would increase sales of the product even more.

What Alex wanted to achieve is to boost *credibility* in the sales message presenting the product. So visitors to his site would actually believe what they read, and therefore be a lot more likely to buy.

Now, since the product Alex was selling was revealing sales and marketing tactics, it would of course be purchased by people interested in selling more online.

So who better to give Alex a testimonial than a world famous marketing expert?...

Alex managed to get a testimonial from none other than Joe Sugarman - hugely successful direct marketer and famous for his BluBlocker sun glasses infomercials.

So - how do YOU go about boosting your own sales with testimonials from celebrities?

Well, let me firstly stress that unless you already have a relationship with the person (you know each other), there's a strong chance they won't reply to you. They may, or they may not. So be prepared for that.

Sending them an email is quick, but I get 200+ emails a day at the moment (spam included), and that's on the low end compared to the number of emails some people I know get.

So email may work if you're looking for a testimonial from a celebrity in your market, but don't hold your breath.

How about a phone call? It's worth a chance, but then again the person you're trying to reach may have a secretary, and what are your chances of getting past them with a testimonial request?

Or of course you could always send them a good ole fashioned "snail mail" letter, preferably including a complimentary copy of your product.

Will this work? Well, it will definitely help get their attention. You may want to contact them via email initially asking them for their postal address so you can send them a review copy of the product.

By doing that initially you're sure to get the right address, and it helps put a mental note in the person's mind that they're going to receive a package from you soon.

Or here's an almost fool proof way: why not buy time from them? Especially if they offer consulting already. It doesn't guarantee they'll offer a testimonial, but if your product's great, chances are they will.

So let's say you've got the product in their hands, and they like it. Here's the last step:

Make it as easy as possible for them. The people you contact are very busy, since that's how they got to where they are.

So what you need to do is write the testimonial for them. And once you've done that, send it over saying "I've included a potential testimonial outline for you. If you would be happy to offer a testimonial for the product, please feel free to change this draft testimonial as you would like to."

Now I can't guarantee you'll get testimonials every time you try, especially if you're not well known in the market or don't have a relationship with the person already. But if you don't try, you'll never know. And just one or two celebrity testimonials can make a real positive impact on your sales for the long term.

Louis Allport is the creator of over thirty (and counting) unique and high quality information products selling very successfully online. Louis is directly involved with every part of the product creation and marketing process including finding the market, creating the content, building the marketing process and materials, as well as developing consistent and qualified traffic streams. One of Louis' recent products reveals a proven four-step formula that can make creating best-selling online products a lot more predictable: http://www.createoffers.com/new/

Small Business Marketing Tip Rub Out Those Typos

2009-02-18T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Craig Lutz-Priefert

When you were little--when you were just learning to put on makeup or style your hair--did you ever run out the door without that last look in the mirror? And, once you were at school, you found out that your makeup was smudged or your hair was just chaos? Now, hopefully you discovered your dishevelment before your classmates did; but if you are like most of us, you probably didn'tand embarrassment was the likely result.

Imagine how much trouble just one quick glance in the looking glass can spare us!

Details in marketing matter. Your marketing face to your customer, your Package, is vital. You wouldn't wear a stained shirt on a sales call, right?

One of our favorite copywriters, Ann Kozak, points out that the nastiest damage a typo or a misspelled word inflicts isn't the damage to our company image. Granted, that is bad enough, but it is not the worst. Typos interrupt the understanding of our message. Your marketing message needs to move the prospect towards some desired action: picking up the phone, visiting your website, or stopping by your store. But for a few precious seconds the typo or misspelled word delays your prospect on that journey toward the desired action. Her brain stops for the typo, then re-routes the information and processes it correctly. You can't afford these slowdowns.

You especially can't afford these slowdowns in our speeded-up world of decision-making and advertising overload--not to mention instant decisions based on first-impressions.

No matter how good at self-proofing you become, your own mistakes are hardest to spot. Most of us are fated to repeat certain writing gaffes over and over. We can burn some of these bad habits out of our systems through vigilantly double-checking our work against a good writing manual; others we seem forever blind to. This is why it is critical to tag-team written marketing communications. You need to have both a writer and an editor or; at minimum, a proofreader.

It's no different than having somebody else give you their perspective on a picture you are hanging. You are just too close to be able to see it clearly to insure it is level. It is the same with your marketing communications.

But prior to submitting your work to your associate for review, it's helpful to have an aid to assist you in reviewing your own work. The Elements of Business Writing is an aid like that bathroom mirror; use it to spot-check your work while it's still in process.

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

Craig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing Hawks, a firm providing essential marketing vision for small business. Marketing Hawks also sponsors the ongoing small business adventures of entrepreneur Crystal Trino at the JourneyToday website.

Marketing Experts And Selfproclaimed Gurus

2009-02-17T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

Every marketing expert who has ever written a book on the subject or offers their services, as a consultant seems to believe that they are the best marketer of any product or service, which has ever hit the planet. I find this interesting myself in that my marketing for my company before retirement literally blew away every other competitor in the market no matter, which city we took it to. Indeed, as a marketer myself, I have read over 300 marketing books in the last two decades. Many are very similar and over the years the buzzwords change and the methodology changes a little is well.

What is very fascinating about this subject is that much of what our company did in the way of marketing is not something we learned in a book, but rather through trial and error. Constantly modifying our methods to get more bang for our buck. I'm not sure why marketing experts are so arrogant, only that in observation they are. I suppose if you are winning in the marketplace you can develop quite an ego. I know I did, but it was earned ego from accomplishment, success and winning markets.

So often today we see marketing experts who have never marketed anything except hyping the books, cassette tapes and marketing seminars for small businesses and or corporate America that they produce. I am not sure if I would call this marketing, but in a way it is, as they are marketing themselves and their services. And yet I would love to challenge any of them on the battlefield and any of the industry's I have ever competed in, because I know the result in advance, as we competed against the best and never lost a single market. Please consider this in 2006 before you spend thousands of dollars on hype from self-proclaimed Goo-Roots of marketing.

Lance Winslow

A Valuable Marketing Weapon That Costs You Nothing

2009-02-16T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Larry Baltz

Did you know that you can give away valuable FREE information to your prospects and clients? Truly, for FREE. You don't have to pay for it or pay anything to produce it. It's yours as long as you know where to get it.

For instance:

Seth Godin is a worldwide bestselling author of several interesting books, one titled Unleashing the Ideavirus. In this book, Godin describes ways to set any viable commercial concept loose amongst those who are most likely to catch it - and then stand aside as these recipients become infected and pass it on to others who might do the same. It is an enjoyable read loaded with wickedly creative concepts.

Did you know that you can download or print the e-book for FREE right on his web site? So why not pass this great information on to your prospects? Many of them probably aren't aware of it and you know they will enjoy it as much as you do. You can either send them directly to his site, or you can visit a page on his site where you enter the person's name and e-mail, along with a message if you like, and they will forward it for you. How cool is that?

You get all the kudos simply for being the bright individual who was aware of this great giveaway. By the way, if you're interested, go to www.sethgodin.com/ideavirus for complete information.

I hope you are aware that you can give away a valuable report I've written, titled "Knock-Their-Socks-Off" Promotion and Marketing. Wouldn't your prospects appreciate several creative marketing ideas that cost them little or nothing? If so, all you have to do is send them to www.moresales-moreprofits.com.

If you really like this concept, you can even go a step further. I'll bet your target prospects are obsessed about marketing their web site. Hey, what business owner isn't? If they would like a monthly magazine with great content that focuses solely on web site success, they should be reading Website Services. Why don't you alert them to this great magazine?

All you have to do is suggest they go to www.websiteservices.com and sign up for their FREE subscription. Once again, you're the hero for making the connection. And it costs you nothing.

This technique can live an unlimited life because you have numerous opportunities to provide resources for your prospects. Think about the kind of information that is helpful to you and search the internet for it. You'll find lots of resources and much of it is available for FREE. When you do find reliable sources, simply refer your prospects to them.

Larry Baltz runs a company called More Sales More Profits. He works with small business owners who want to get more clients and sell more products and services. Larry is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and small business marketing expert. For his free report, "Knock-Their-Socks-Off" Promotion and Marketing, go to http://www.moresales-moreprofits.com for your copy.

Taking Marketing To The Extreme

2009-02-15T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Sandy Baker

Marketing is a fundamental aspect of virtually every business that is out there. For many companies, this is where most of their budget goes: advertising. There are hundreds of ways for you to advertise from coffee shop windows to on the web through banner ads. The goal is of course to target your key audience at the exact right time. This is not an easy task nor is it on that you should take lightly.

One of the most intense types of marketing that is geared towards people no matter where they are and where they go is mobile marketing. Consider this. You could pay for one hundred banners to be put on the sides of buses in one major city. This will cost thousands of dollars in marketing. Those who see the ad will be able to react to it. But, in order for them to see it they need to be at the right place at the right time to see the bus go past them. In the end, your target audience is quite difficult to target in this medium.

But, when you consider mobile marketing, the tables are turned. What is the one thing that you insure you have when you grab your keys to head out the door? You mobile phone! And, so does about half of the population out there. Marketing through mobile phones is an excellent way to get your message out to individuals who are going to take this medium with them where ever they go.

Mobile marketing is fast becoming the talk of the town simply because it is so very effective. Because you can target such a large or such a specific group of people, it makes sense to take advantage of this type of marketing no matter what your product or service is. Because it can be very targeted and very broad, mobile marketing can serve many companies marketing needs: effectively.

Sandy Baker is a well respected writer and recommends using mobile marketing strategies, for your marketing needs. If you're serious about expanding your business, these folks are the one you need.

Marketing Tips On A Budget

2009-02-14T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Diana Ennen

I don't know about you, but when I started my business and even today with a son in college and two kids at home who love to shop as much as mom, I don't have a lot of money to spend on marketing. I need to make sure that every penny I spend is spent wisely, very wisely. So when I market my business, I need to make sure that I'm creative and use all the tools I have available that don't cost money. Here are some tips that I have found that worked for me.

Radio/Media - It's not that hard. Have a plan of action and stick to it. Each week decide to send out so many press releases, contacts to radio stations, local media, etc. Look to woman's networks, work-at-home networks, and others who actively look for guests.

Stay in tune with what's currently happening and see if it's something that you can share about. I've found that having an angle works. Once you have that angle write and pitch your angle hard.

Also consider starting your own radio show. Jill Hart and I do a weekly podcast and it's a great way to network. Check it out sometime at http://www.cwahm.com.

Forums / Listserves - Being active in forums and listserves is so beneficial to your business. You establish yourself as an expert and also you gain friendships and alliances with others. Plus, it's a great way to promote your business. Naturally you never want to blatantly advertise your business, but when you answer questions and show your expertise, people listen. I know I've found many a subcontractor this way. Take advantage of these. Remember you also establish those friendships that can last a lifetime. And then when you get the opportunity to meet them in person, you already have a bond.

Writing Articles - Submitting articles is an excellent marketing tool and I highly recommend it. Make sure you submit to your targeted market. Write on topics that you are familiar. Don't just write for publicity --Give something back. Make sure that your topic and information is of value. Write articles using "The Top 5 or 10" or "The Best 5 Ways To Do Something." Think about the magazines you buy at the stores, don't you normally gravitate to those articles. I know I do. Get those keywords in the title. That's where they count.

Also, plan, plan, plan. What are you going to do today that is going to gain recognition for your business?

Marketing a business doesn't have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business.

Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook, etc., and President of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com Also, publisher of the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer, http://www.pauloreyes.com

Mark Twains Great Marketing Idea

2009-02-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rix Quinn

To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this article is true), I don't know where I heard this story about Mark Twain. But I've heard it enough times to verify that it's either (a) at least half true, or (b) a credible lie.

Anyway, it's seems that in the early 1850's Twain then known as Samuel Clemens found himself in San Francisco without a job. The reason he was there, I believe, had something to do with the Gold Rush.

Twain loved the town, and wanted to stay. But to do so he had to find a job. Since he'd worked on a newspaper before, he applied at a big publication there.

No thanks, the editor said. We don't need any writers right now. And even if we did, we don't have money in the budget to pay them.

Twain countered with an amazing offer. What if he agreed to work for free? I'll write for you, Twain said. You publish my work, and if people like what I write, maybe you'll hire me.

You can guess the rest of this report. The editor loved Twain's work, hired him, and Twain's career continued to build. But what if he'd simply walked out the door that day?

The moral of this story: Free is pretty hard to refuse. Next time you have trouble winning a client, how about offering to do a project for free, just to show what you can do?

Rix Quinn's new book "Words That Stick" is inexpensive, and offers lots of writing ideas. You can get it from you local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/

For details on Quinn's workshops and consulting services, e-mail him at mailto:rixquinn@charter.net

How To Get New Business

2009-02-12T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Sue And Chuck DeFiore

Market, Market and then market some more. So many small and home-business owners do what we call spot marketing. They market hard for their business, get a response then stop marketing.

Marketing must be an ongoing process. Let's repeat that...Marketing Must Be An On Going Process. In addition, you should have multiple marketing strategies. For example, we market on the internet through newsgroups, newsletters, press releases, forums, writing articles. We also market by running support groups, joining local groups and chambers, and being active and getting involved in the community. We give out our brochures and business cards. Your cards and brochures are not going to do you any good sitting in your files. We send out follow-up information for every cold call we make and speak to someone. While we might not do business with them now, we might down the road. However, we certainly won't hear from them, if they don't get something from us.

The following happened during a teleclass we sat in on: One of the other participants asked about getting customers for interior design work. She had a brochure with her services, and would give a free consultation to her clients. However, she wasn't turning those into sales. A couple of things we suggested were to 1) put pictures in her brochure of before and afters for homes she did; 2) offer to re-do a small area of their home for half price, so they could get an idea of her work. She loved the ideas, and thought they would work marvelously for her.

Remember, you won't get the business, if you don't ask for it. Along with the marketing you have to also be a salesperson. You have to ask for the sale. You don't have to be obnoxious about it, in fact, if you are, you probably won't get it at all. As most of you know, we never push anyone to order or do something with us, it's up to them. We want our customers to make an informed decision, and for it to be win-win for everyone, and that is how we conduct our business. You should also. However, realize that for certain businesses a stronger approach might be necessary.

For those that work with services only, you have to create a need for that person to act now. Those in real estate know, if the owner is not motivated now and is just fishing for price, the deal might not go. You have to make it go, either by using a new strategy or following up at a later date. There are some deals that do go even if there is not a lot of motivation, but because you were able to come up with a creative real estate strategy that peaked the owners/buyers interest now and for him/her to act now.

For those in service businesses listening skills are a must. If you are not a good listener, learn to be. If you are constantly thinking only about what you are going to say about your product/service, you are missing out on what your customers needs are. The best way to think of your services or products is what are the benefits for your customers. Make a list of them, know them well and then you'll be better able to listen to your customers.

There are many different ways to get new clients, repeat business and to stay focused.

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com

When Marketing Liars Get Caught And What You Should Be Doing Instead

2009-02-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Craig Garber

Ever see an ad and just "sense" that it's an outright lie? Or maybe even more frustrating, ever write an ad yourself, and feel you can't make your sales pitch accurately "unless" you're lying?

Don't worry, because I'm going to tell you exactly how to deal with this so you can put your broken conscience back together again and eliminate all that angst you're carrying around with you.

Listen to this:

Not surprisingly, a little while ago, three well-known, household-brand companies, were nailed for false advertising.

Here, check this out:

Apple got in trouble for making false claims about the life of the battery inside the iPod. They said the battery would last for the life of the iPod, and that you got 10 straight hours of playing time on it.

I own an iPod, and I can tell you, neither of these claims are true.

Gillete got spanked in the rear for saying the M3Power razor made the hairs on your face stand up for easy shaving.

And you don't need to be a dermatologist to figure out that's impossible.

And good old Tropicana was busted because they claimed their "Healthy Heart" orange juice lowered blood pressure and cholseterol, reducing your risk of getting a heart attack and a stroke.

And everyone knows that can't be true, because the pharmaceutical companies would immediately shut down ANYTHING that competed with their drugs that lower your blood pressure and your high cholesterol.

Oddly enough though, the biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs making, is their reluctance to telling the truth in their sales copy, specifically when it comes to touting themselves or their own accomplishments.

For example, yesterday I was reviewing a client's sales copy, and the client's biggest flaw was in not credentializing himself ENOUGH.

I'm not sure if he felt a little "awkward" by boasting... or if he was just a little bashful, but the truth is, once you put a product out there -- especially if you're selling information products -- you're now THE expert.

So step up to the plate and assert yourself -- your prospects are looking for your guidance, and for your leadership -- if you're reluctant to give it to them, and if you don't stand up and start leading them, they'll be just as reluctant to drink from your well.

And even more reluctant to buying from you.

After all, think about it -- would you accept medical care from a physician who was unsure of themselves, or who was uncomfortable letting you know about all his experience and credentials?

And let's make it even more mundane: Would you rather use the newest pest control company in town or the one who told you they've been eliminating bugs for the last 15 years and only three times, did they have to go out and re-treat the home?

So don't hold back. Let your prospects know how good you are, and then some. You'll only make them feel better about their relationship with you and reduce potential buyers remorse.

Now go sell something,

If you want to know how to consistently attract a steady stream of fresh new prospects, who are pre-qualified, eager, and excited about buying from you, then Craig Garber -- recognized by his peers as America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter -- can show you exactly how to do this, step-by-step. Garber's written winning promotions across a HUGE variety of industries and you can see them all for yourself on his website at http://www.kingofcopy.com

Wise Man Marketing

2009-02-10T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Martin Day

It's a sunny morning and you're sitting in your office. With a cup of hot coffee by your side and memories of your last holiday still fresh in your mind, even if you say so yourself, today at least, life is sweet.

You take a sip of new blend coffee and then feel a rush of cool air and a movement catches the corner of your eye. As if from nowhere there is now an impeccably dressed stranger sitting in the chair opposite. Sure you're surprised; you didn't hear anyone knock and just as you are about to say something he begins in a calm and measured voice.

'Here's the deal'

'I am going to advertise your product on a billboard at the busiest junctions in every city of the world.'

'I will tell you how many people see this advertisement and I will tell you their age, nationality and gender.'

'I will tell you what they think of your product and in many cases I will give you their contact details. While they are reading the billboard I will make it possible for them to view your website and, if they feel the urge, make a purchase.'

'I will have all this ready in two days and it will cost you less than a small advertisement in your typical trade journal.'

He pauses. 'Interested?'

Now you might think that such an offer was too good to be true, you might think that you are going to wake up soon or maybe that it really is time to get a lock on that office door.

But let's just take a minute. If you are still reading this I am that man who has come from nowhere and offered you a deal.

The advertising site is on the Internet and the billboard I'm offering is the humble online survey.

Stop for one moment and start to associate an online survey not with 'market research' but with 'marketing'. Not any type of marketing but 'Marketing' with a capital 'M' and in flashing neon lights. Marketing that is quick, direct, effective and low cost.

Publish an online survey and advertise it on a website, or via email, and like a billboard by the side of a major road junction, your message will appear in front of people. But unlike a billboard where the number of people that see an advert has to be estimated (based on an arbitrary percentage of total volume of traffic), the online survey records the number of times a survey is started.

Surveys can ask demographic questions such as gender, age and nationality and in doing so you are obtaining metrics about the effectiveness of your promotion and are interacting with the respondent on a one-on-one level.

Unlike billboards where the message is often subliminal, or maybe just trying to achieve brand awareness, with online surveys you have the opportunity to connect with the public to find out what they really think about your product, how it relates to them, how it is perceived.

Using a website like http://www.surveygalaxy.com it takes only minutes and hours to create a survey and using the power of the Internet an online survey can reach hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis.

Throw in a prize as an incentive for people to complete the survey, maybe some Pay Per Click advertising to capture an even wider, or more focused audience and you are still talking low cost effective marketing.

'So tell me. Do we have a deal?'

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

Procrastination Marketing It Actually Works

2009-02-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Alexandria K. Brown

I'm guessing that right now there are several marketing tasks you've been putting off. Perhaps it's revamping your website. Or sending out your first e-zine. Or getting listed in the search engines. Or putting together a media kit. So why haven't you done it?

Believe me, this is a battle I fight with myself too. But you know what I realized?

Procrastination is NOT evil! Instead of seeing procrastination as a terrible thing, I now see it as a tool that helps me learn how I work best.

In fact, I've arrived at six different reasons why we all seem to procrastinate. Here they are, along with what you can learn from (and do for) each.

Reason 1: You are procrastinating because you don't enjoy the entire task or job. Solution: One of my life coaches told me several years ago that if I didn't like doing something, I should "delete it, delegate it, or automate it." What a great way to look at things! I'm a big fan of ONLY doing tasks I enjoy or am good at. The rest I outsource to people who are good at it and/or enjoy it.

Reason 2: You are procrastinating because you don't enjoy a PART of the entire task or job.

Solution: If you're putting off a whole project just because there's one part you don't want to do, figure out how you can get away without doing that part. Again, delete it, delegate it, or automate it.

Reason 3: You are procrastinating because you don't know how to handle the task or job Solution: The answer will not drop in your lap. Get help -- a consultant to teach you how, a book or home study course to show you how, or even better, outsource it to someone who can just do it for you.

Reason 4: You are procrastinating because you simply can't find the time. Solution: Schedule future time to do it, or get rid of other tasks to create the time you need. If you still can't do this, then you need to find someone to do it for you.

Reason 5: You are procrastinating because you feel stuck. Solution: You may just need to get momentum going. Give yourself permission to do just one small part of the project only. Or do the easiest part first. (That's how I started writing my entire home study course.) This usually creates momentum, and you end up doing a lot more than you intended to!

Reason 6: You are procrastinating because you don't really want to do what you thought you should do. Solution: This means you may have the wrong objective or strategy in the first place! Is this something you really want to do, or do you just think you SHOULD do it? Or is it an old goal that doesn't fit you or your business anymore? Your answer may surprise you. Let the goal go for awhile and see what happens.

Start Paying Attention! Once you start paying attention to which activities you put off regularly, you'll know sooner when to be stricter with yourself or find help to get those tasks accomplished in a more timely manner.

So take a minute and make your list right now of what marketing tasks you've been putting off! Don't beat yourself up about it, just make a note and figure out how to get them done.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," publishes the award-winning 'Straight Shooter Marketing' weekly ezine with 20,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.EzineQueen.com

Mortgage Marketing The Power Of Positioning

2009-02-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jeffrey Nelson

How do you build a mortgage marketing strategy that can have real estate agents hunting for your services? Agents are bombarded everyday with a continuous stream of marketing messages from loan officers. They cope with this information-overload by ignoring most of them. So how do you stand out in an over-communicated environment? You'll change the dynamics of your mortgage marketing when you understand the importance of positioning. Positioning is a communication tool to reach agents in a crowded marketplace.

Positioning means, you position your services in the prospect's mind

A position is a place, a place in the mind of the prospect a perceptual location. When you market your services, you're competing for this space. If your position is similar in nature to your competitor's, you're competing in an overcrowded place in the prospect's mind.

Take a moment and consider your current position. Look at your communication pieces, which is commonly how agents position your services in their mind, if it's their primary exposure to your business. Your website, flyers, postcards, newsletters, brochures, advertisements, and business card are often the first communication an agent comes across regarding your services. What position are you communicating?

Not sure? Visit your competitor's website, if you switched your company logo with their company logo, how much difference would there actually be in the content or message? For most mortgage companies the answer is simplevery little.

Positioning means, a simple and singular message

To improve your position, you need to narrow your focus. A position that seeks to be everything to everyone will end up being nothing to everyone. For example, does your messages appeal with the promises' of loans closing on time, rendering superior service, high approval rates, etc.? This position doesn't work. First, it's competing with too many others; secondly, it isn't simple and doesn't focus on a single thing.

Look at examples in other service industries to understand the power of a narrow focus. When Federal Express began, they focused on a single position, a position that hadn't been dominated by other shippers yet. They communicated a single position through every medium "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." This intense focus helped them build a brand identity that associated them with being the best at overnight shipping. And when people had packages that had to be delivered overnight and they weren't going to risk their decision - they chose Federal Express.

Southwest Airlines is another example. Their position of the "low-fare, no frills airline," helped them dominate and achieve prosperity in one of the toughest and most competitive service industries. They went as far as linking the image of peanuts to their brand identity to associate with the position of low cost. This connected successfully with budget conscious travelers.

Positioning means, setting yourself apart from competitors

Since most loan officers have positioned themselves identical, agents see them as all the same. Mortgage services are indistinguishable. So how do you separate yourself?

The more similar the mortgage services, the more important the details. When realtors have to select a loan officer, they look for differences upon which to base their decision. This means the more identical mortgage services are, the more important each difference becomes. For you to separate yourself, accentuate the trivial.

For years, Domino's never stressed quality, price or value. Instead they relentlessly promoted, "Delivered in 30 minutes, or it's on us." Over the time of this campaign, they owned the position of speed. Consumers' perceived Domino's as fast and reliable.

Find a niche that is unoccupied in the realtor's mind and fill it first. There are numerous opportunities to specialize your services and occupy niches.

You can position around unique products:

Jumbo Loan expert
HUD expert
Interest Only Specialist

You can position around trivial details of processes:

Loans closed 5 days ahead of COE
Loan approvals within an hour or less
Daily file update alerts for agents

You can position around gender, ethnicity, or geography:

Specialized in exclusively serving single professionals
Specialized in exclusively serving the Hispanic community
Specialized in exclusively serving Town & Country Ranch

Positioning is your competitive marketing strategy for getting noticed. It is an outward expression of how you want to be perceived. It allows you to create a place for your services in an Agent's mind, where the competition isn't.

Jeff Nelson helps mortgage companies and individual loan officers increase loan originations by developing customized relationship-building strategies that secure quality relationships with real estate agents. Click here to get a free copy of the Marketing Planning Guide, a 20-page workbook designed to help you outline a strategy to becoming an Agent Magnet.

Visit us at http://www.loan-officer-marketing.com

Sales Resistance On The Rise

2009-02-07T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero

Have you noticed it? More and more marketing campaigns are going over the top. They're trying bolder, more in-your-face tactics. And consumers DON'T like it.

There's a growing resistance toward advertising. According to a recent study by Yankelovich Partners (a marketing company) 60% of consumers have a much more negative opinion of marketing and advertising than they did a few years ago. 65% already feel overwhelmed with too many marketing messages. And 61% feel the volume is out of control.

Beat consumer negativity and resistance by precisely targeting the "tar-ket" of your audience. (Remember a "tarket" is the single person you write your copy to rather than the mob of your entire "target market". "Target" plus "market" equals "tarket").

When you tap into the psyche of your tarket, you understand better how to approach your marketing.

So pull those boxes out of storage. Grab that big chunky 'swipe' file. Collect up your competitor's promotions. Query your past customers. Get it all together. I mean EVERYTHING. Your business history, promotions, flyers and articles. Where did you file that business plan that you created when you first started? How has the message evolved since you wrote it? What is the lifestyle focus of your tarket? Surround yourself with thorough research materials.

The most powerful copy is focused with a clear idea first of the person who is already looking for your product or service. Without doing your research, your message meets resistance every time. Doing your due diligence is cheap insurance against consumer resistance. Know what your tarket wants. Not what YOU THINK he or she wants.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is the author of the award winning home study course, Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market and founder of the online copywriting school Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp, (http://www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm). Learn insider secrets to great copywriting from a pro whos been in the trenches with Lorries f^ree ezine, Copywriting TNT. Sign up at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.

Hold Onto What Youve Got

2009-02-06T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Alan Fairweather

You probably spend a great deal of your time looking for new customers or clients. However, are you sure your doing enough to hold onto the ones you've got. One of the least costly ways to grow your business is to get customers to come back and buy more of your product or service.

How many customers have you lost this month? I'm sure it's not something you want to think about too much, however it's inevitable that you'll lose customers and clients for a whole range of reasons many of which are out with your control.

I read a survey some years ago that suggested customers leave a business for four basic reasons: 14% leave because they're dissatisfied with the quality of the product or service, 9% leave because of price, 5% leave for other reasons and a whacking great 72% leave because of "supplier indifference".

Too many suppliers give customers the impression that they don't care about repeat business. I've stayed in hotels, dealt with banks and building societies and dealt with suppliers who didn't seem to care whether I came back or not.

We need to continually let our customers know we care about them. We need to keep in touch, write to them, send them information and occasionally 'phone them. When they contact us we need to make sure we sound warm and friendly, pleased to hear from them, efficient and maybe even look and sound like we're fun to do business with. It's not a lot different from our personal relationships. If we don't keep telling the people close to us how much we care and keep writing and 'phoning, then we shouldn't be too surprised if they leave us one day.

Use logic and emotion to keep your customers. Give them the best products and service and give great value for money. However, always remember, your competitors will be doing much the same thing. The difference will be determined by how you communicate with your customers on an emotional level, either face to face, on the 'phone, by letter or email.

I bought a new car from a local dealer a few years ago. I've never heard from them since. A dealer for the same brand of car fifty miles away writes regularly with details of special offers. They send a regular news letter and the occasional very courteous 'phone call. I'm going to change my car soon, guess who'll be getting the sale?

Discover how you can generate more business without having to cold call!

Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales without Selling" This book is packed with practical things that you can do to get customers to come to you . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com/Without%20Selling.htm

Top 10 Tips To Market Amp Build Your Professional Practice

2009-02-05T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Philip E. Humbert

In building and running a professional practice (or any small business or a home-based business), there are many items that must be monitored closely. As a small operation, you can't afford to find out too late that a critical aspect of your business has gotten off-track! This list looks at 10 items to emphasize at the start of a new year, or any time you want to rapidly grow your business in a short period of time.

This Top 10 is really two groups of 5 items each. The first 5 items are tools, things to have on hand that will help you grow your business quickly, while items 6 through 10 are personal qualities or personal styles that create a powerful sense of "attraction" for new clients.

1. A business plan. Include a clear mission statement, describe the services you provide, the population you serve, the benefits you provide, and financial projections.

2. A marketing plan. Include a description of your targeted market groups and budgets for time, energy and money to reach those specific groups of people.

3. A comprehensive set of brochures, exercises, hand-outs and "give aways". If word of mouth is the best advertising, make it easy for your clients to say the nicest things about you! Make sure every client has valuable information, tools and ideas to share with friends. Put real value in your literature.

4. A plan for networking. A huge part of success is just showing up! Whether it's civic activity, volunteering at your child's school, or in your house of worship, show up! The more you put into your community, and the more you contribute, the more you will get back.

5. The perfect office. Are your waiting room chairs comfortable? Are your magazines current and appropriate? How about the wall paper, the music, the carpet? Your office should tell each client that when they choose you, they are getting the best!

6. Over-respond to every situation. Give far more than expected. Answer every question, then send a relevant article a few days later. Return phone calls immediately! Promise less, then deliver twice what you promised.

7. Eliminate the cost of delay. Never wait "until you can afford" new equipment, a better office or more training. The cost of delay includes too many missed opportunities. If you need it, and you'll do it eventually, do it now! Get on the internet, get a computer billing system, upgrade your phones. Delay costs you money, time, energy and limits your creativity. Do it now!

8. Take superb care of yourself. Exercise and eat well, get plenty of rest and hang around the most delightful, challenging and exciting people you can find. See one less client per day, and spend that time adding value to your remaining clients.

9. Market yourself shamelessly. Market your practice with style, with passion, good taste, and a low-key honesty that is shame-free and comfortable for everyone around you. The community needs your skills far more than you need a job clearly communicate what you do and how well you do it. Your community needs you! Let them know how to find you!

10. Tolerate no distractions. A clear vision and passionate commitment to your priorities makes life simpler and you become incredibly attractive to those who share your vision. Clean up any distractions and serve your clients with absolute integrity and total commitment. People know when they are getting your best.

Always focus on what you want for your business in the months ahead. We don't generally get everything we wish for in life, but being clear, focusing on the important rather than the convenient or the familiar, and being smart and working hard can take us further than we imagine. The clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to get it.

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

What Plans Do Your Clients Have

2009-02-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Beverley Hamilton

* What is their business vision?

* What are their 3-5 key goals over the next 3 years?

* Where do they want to take their businesses? Grow and expand? Sell? Merge? Consolidate?

AND

Why should you know and care?

Here are 3 reasons

Your current clients offer future opportunities

You've already done business with them. They know you and you know them. There might be potential for further business if not now, then perhaps over the next 1-3 years. If you know their plans and know what challenges, opportunities and aspirations they have you can offer to help them develop those plans and achieve their future objectives.

This may be in the form of actual business or it could simply be by connecting them with other suppliers, mentors or consultants that can help them. If you put their needs first under the "pay it forward" principle you are more likely to be the one they call when then have a need that you can specifically help with within your speciality.

"If you know what they need, you can plant the seed"

Foresight is Fore planned

If, for example you are an HR consultant and you know that one of your key clients has plans to double their workforce as a result of increased production due to the opening of a new facility, you can help them by preplanning the whole recruitment, selection, induction and training process. The benefit to them is that they have the right people with the right skills and knowledge, correctly inducted and trained in place in good time for the launch.

"Consult in advance and be part of the dance"

Your pipeline will have a steady flow

One of the constant challenges you face as a consultant is that of a steady pipeline of "ideal" business. By working with your current clients to plan their next 1-3 years you can potentially increase the flow of work into your consultancy.

Imagine you are an IT implementation Consultant and you know that within the next 12 months your number one client will be implementing a new PC software rollout, changing the way they manage their online sales and are moving premises, you could potentially have 1, 2 or 3 pieces of work or 1 big integration project.

By working with your current ideal clients you can help them plan and manage their implementation and your pipeline too.

"A steady flow will help you grow"

Gaining new clients is always a key activity for consultants and optimising the relationship you have with your current clients is also important.

Keep in touch, meet with key people at various levels within the organisation, and research your clients market and trends. Do this when you have work with them and when you don't. They will trust you more and hopefully share more when they know you have their longer term interests at heart and are not just out for the short term buck!

Go One Step Further for your clients and you go One Step Further too.

Beverley Hamilton works with independent business consultants to help them grow a profitable consultancy and still have time for their life. You can get my Free Ecourse Discover the 5 Most Common Incorrect Assumptions Independent Business Consultants Make and a complimentary subscription to Quickstart, the newsletter specifically for consultants. Go to One Step Further for more instantly accessible resources. Your future Your choice

Create A Blueprint For Your Success

2009-02-03T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Joanne Victoria

Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving, profitable life and business. A simple method to create this foundation is with Discovery, Vision, Planning and Benchmarking, the four cornerstones of your life as well as your business.

Discovery is defined as examining where are you now and where are you going. It helps to look at everything as if you were a beginner. Always know why you are in the business of your choice. If your strategy is not clear, you won't recognize the destination when you get there. This is the time to bring in your outside Vision Team.

Vision is who you are about and what your life is about. This is where you determine values you need to experience on a continuing basis. Vision is also where you become the expert in your field and decide the purpose of your business. Remember, the smaller the niche, the larger the reward. Abandon any preconceived beliefs you have about this or any other business. They can restrict your thinking. Live out of this new vision, not your past comfort.

Planning creates the strategies that help you arrive at your destination. A simple system is to - Show Up, Be on Time, Keep Your Word and Tell The Truth. It's like riding on that train, sometimes there are hills to climb; sometimes there are curves and other times you're flying rapidly down the mountain to your destination. In any instance, you must remain focused on what you want and where you are going.

Benchmarking helps you stay on track. Once focused, you set up a system for accountability, self-management and self-renewal. You can create outcomes or optimum wants that may be on the outer edge of possibilities or a result that is far bigger than you think is attainable. Going into new territory can unlock your potential and increase your development. When outcomes or optimum results are achieved, you can acknowledge success and learn to be satisfied. Again, put it in writing; the outcomes, the results and the acknowledgement.

Rules require exceptions, so even if you follow the above and create a strong foundation, you must be prepared for chaos. Chaos can aid in your personal and business development if you have eliminated all toxic people or commitments from your life.

Chaos can then become the opportunity to progress rapidly into new territory. You can be the architect of your own life.

With a strong foundation, you can build anything.

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Joanne Victoria works with small business owners who want to achieve more and still be true to who they really are. Sign up now for her FREE monthly e-zine Create the Business of your Dreams at: mailto:CreateYourBusiness-subscribe@topica.com

Joanne Victoria Tel: 415-491-1344 mailto:joanne@joannevictoria.com Author of : Lighting Your Path! How To Create the Life You Want - Order Here! http://www.joannevictoria.com ~.~.~.~.

Article Title: Create A Blueprint For Your Success Author Name: Joanne Victoria Contact E-mail Address: mailto:joanne@joannevictoria.com Word Count: 487, wrapped at 60 characters Category: Business Development Copyright Date: 2003-All Rights Reserved

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Thank you for publishing this article in its entirety including the resource box. Please notify me of publication by sending either a website link or a copy of your ezine upon publication to: mailto:joanne@joannevictoria.com . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joanne Victoria, CEO of New Directions in Sausalito, CA, works with small business owners who want to achieve more focus, more balance, more fun and more abundance and still be true to who they really are. Check her website at: http://www.JoanneVictoria.com for more articles and programs. Tel: 415-491-1344.

How Does A Trade Show Work Understanding The Four Components

2009-02-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Julia O'Connor

Is a trade show confusing? "It certainly can be," says Julia O'Connor, president of Trade Show Training.

O'Connor says her firm estimates there are more than 175,000 trade shows in the US each year and each show can be dynamically different from another. Whether the show focus is Business-to-Business Marketing, Business-to-Business Sales or Business-to-Consumer, these are the four basic components of every event:

1. There is a Sponsor

2. There is a Manager

3. There are Exhibitors

4. There is an Audience

THERE IS A SPONSOR ...

This may be a trade association, magazine, show management company or other organization, but there is one party responsible for developing and sponsoring the event. The sponsor takes the financial risk that the event will be successful.

You sign the contract with, and pay your money to, the sponsor of the event. The sponsor decides if your company fits the criteria established for the show, including size of your booth and location. Some shows allow you to pay your money and select your booth site. Some shows use a point system with criteria, such as how often you advertise in its magazine, if you're a member of the association, or how many years you have exhibited at this show. Shows may have waiting lists, which means if you sign on and are allowed in, you may have no choice of location.

If you have any questions about the show, contact the Sponsor.

THERE IS A MANAGER ...

Smaller events may be handled internally by staff of the sponsor, or may be contracted out to a specialized firm, generally referred to as Show Management. Large events have a contracted show management firm.

Show Management is responsible for the all the details - the day-to-day and hour-by-hour running of the show. In turn, management will sub-contract for components of the show, and will designate official contractors, including unions, for such items as labor, electrical, catering, cleaning, flowers etc.

Show Management's responsibility is to collect all the information about the show contractors. The Sponsor, after approval, will send you the Exhibitor's Manual (also called the Exhibitor's Package).

The Exhibitor's Manual is the most important document you will receive about the show.

Read it as soon as you get it, highlight all those items which relate to your booth and sign up before the deadlines. Be certain to keep two (2) copies of all your contracts and payments - one goes with exhibit staff to the show, one stays in your office.

Depending on the size of the show, the Exhibitor's Package may be just a couple of pages or a large 3-ring binder. If you have any questions about activity on the show floor, contact Show Management.

THERE ARE EXHIBITORS ...

Some shows have a very small number of exhibitors; others have thousands. A company decides to exhibit because it has a product or service it wants to put into the marketplace. Exhibiting companies can be big or small, old or new. By exhibiting, a company has an equal opportunity to be considered a serious contender in its industry.

The staff selected for a trade show is very important. The Center for Exhibition Industry Research www.CEIR.org - estimates that 85% of the time that a sale is attributed to a trade show, it was because of the staff.

Important: Select your staff to work the anticipated audience. Technical products may require not only sales engineers but also a technical expert to discuss details.

Staff must know about your products and services. And also, your company's philosophy, credit policies, competitors, R&D, pricing guidelines, new products you can talk about, and those that are proprietary and confidential. A staff person has a major responsibility in representing the company.

Your audience expects you to be knowledgeable, but sometimes you'll be asked a question that's not in your area of expertise. It's OK to say, "I don't know." But you will always have to follow it with, "But, I'll find out."

Most people don't want to be sold, so it's important to consider yourself an information source. You have to be available to as many people as possible. Speaking with, or at least acknowledging your visitor is the first step in qualifying a prospective client.

THERE IS AN AUDIENCE ...

These are prospective buyers of products and services who travel to see what is new, and meet with existing or prospective suppliers. In the majority of shows, the audience is made up of people who have authority to buy or those who can influence the decision to buy.

An individual in the audience may be called attendee, buyer, conventioneer, prospect, lead, visitor or participant. Companies may send a buying team - employees from different departments or locations - which will evaluate your company from their own perspectives and then meet to compare notes about you and your company.

As long as the event has these four components - Sponsor, Manager, Exhibitors, and Audience - Trade Show Training considers it a trade show. The more you know about how trade shows work, then the less confused and the more successful you will be.

About the Author:

Julia O'Connor - Speaker, Author, Consultant - writes about practical aspects of trade shows. As president of Trade Show Training, inc,, now celebrating its 11th year, she works with companies in a variety of industries to improve their bottom line and marketing opportunities at trade shows.

Julia is an expert in the psychology of the trade show environment and uses this expertise in sales training and management seminars. Contact her at 804-355-7800 or check the site =>http://www.TradeShowTraining.com

Is God Part Of Your Marketing Strategy Part 1

2009-02-01T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jesse Boland

Is this a stupid question? Absolutely not, the reason God MUST become part of your business is widely apparent, but not always practiced by new business owners. The fact that God is key to your success as a business owner can be demonstrated by revealing the fact that the vast majority of successful entrepreneurs' business success is linked to their individual beliefs in God. When I got started marketing on the Internet, God was not part of my business and did not play a large part in my life either. Not surprisingly I struggled and nearly quit my home based business. I was in business to get rich, not to help people. However, since then, as I have pursued and become more successful in various high income business opportunities, God has become more and more prevalent in my work and life. In my relationships with highly successful Internet business owners (my personal mentors) a common thread has become apparent that each of these individuals, without exception, has an unshakable belief in God. Why is this? What is it that makes these highly successful people believe in God and how can your own beliefs help you become successful in business and life too? What role does God play to help you become successful running your own business? I'd like to explore this common thread and give you some easily applicable techniques to integrate faith into your business strategy without being bombastic or fanatical.

Why would you want to integrate God into your business strategy anyway? It's simple. Success only truly comes when you work from your soul. William Blake, the English poet and artist says, "I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me." If you can begin to see your personal creativity as God's voice speaking through you, you will be a giant step closer to seeing your business explode. If you can train yourself to organize your business and spark creative ideas for your business through the conception of God prodding you on and driving you toward loftier goals and accomplishments than you ever dreamed possible. This has been called many things including "divine purpose." The poet Dylan Thomas provides an excellent definition of "divine purpose" that we can use, "the force that through the green fuse drives the flower." Do you think the flower has any concept of what it's ultimate goal in life is? Do you? Does the flower stop growing just because it doesn't have the perfect amount of water or sunlight? Are you going to stop pursuing your purpose just because you are struggling in your business or your life? If you are not pursuing your true aspirations of being a highly successful business owner, or you are a business owner who is constantly searching for a new EASY way to make money on the Internet, you are NOT listening to God or your "ultimate purpose." BUSINESS SUCCESS IS NOT EASY. You must use your common sense here. Why do you think 98% of home businesses never make one red cent? Because they are marketing the wrong product? No! If you are marketing your business the right way you can sell sand to a camel and have hundreds of customers lining up to buy again and again. Home based business owners fail because they don't receive the right training and mentorship to run a highly successful business, they lose their commitment and they quit. The keys to your business success are:

1. Integrate God Into Your Business Strategy.

2. Find a Support System. Seek Out Mentors and Colleagues Who Encourage and Support You to Achieve Your Goals. Find People Who Have Attained a Level of Success that You Hope To Replicate and Model Your Business Strategy After Theirs.

3. Stay Motivated and Committed to Your "Divine Purpose" in Business.

The formula to success is simple and intuitive when you break it down. If you can turn your business over to God's proven desire to see you succeed and can trust in a higher power to guide you along your path to business success, you will have hurdled the biggest obstacle that most new business owners face: the temptation to quit their business when confronted by difficulties, setbacks (i.e. lack of results). If you can simply believe in your "divine purpose" your business is no longer yours to quit, it is God's; you have been put in charge of your business not simply by and for your self, but to fulfill the will of God's plan for you and desire to see you succeed. If you can begin to feel God in your everyday business activities, hardships will never cause you to doubt your ultimate goal, setbacks will only strengthen your resolve, and small successes will only prod you to achieve more.

Entrepreneurs are a different sort of folk. Though they tend to be driven and skilled workers, entrepreneurs don't tend to make the best employees because they are constantly looking for better ways to do things and solve the problems presented to them by their jobs. Translate your feelings of dissatisfaction in your job to a mind-set that God is telling you that there are bigger plans for you. More on God's role in your business strategy in next weeks article. Let me leave you with a quote from The Work of The Chariot: "When a Man Takes One Step Toward God. God Takes More Steps Toward That Man Than There Are Sands in the World's of Time." Take that step in your business strategy this week and see how your life changes.

For More Marketing Tips and Low Cost Lead Generation Services Contact: Jesse Boland Octopus Marketing Group CEO (208) 267-5127 Skype: Jesse Boland. Subscribe to Jesse's Newsletter with Business Insights From Him and His Mentors: Marketing Strategy Newsletter

Down To The Wire

2009-01-31T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Henry DeVries

When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.

The best publicity draws on one of a handful of tried-and-true themes. Newsworthy stories have something that hits you as a reader and makes you more interested than "just the facts." Think about how your company's story might work as part of one (or more) of the following story themes.

David vs. Goliath

You were small, the odds against you were great, but you took on the big guys and you won! Everybody loves an underdog, and if you can play this card, you might stir up more attention than you ever thought possible. An Orange County-based company, ProtectConnect (www.protectconnect.com), is using this strategy to publicize its buzzworthy invention -- a modular system of safety-first electrical outlets and switches. The wiring device industry they're taking on is dominated by just a handful of huge corporations, but the attention they're getting as a startup for their patented product has prompted more than $1.5 million in orders -- before the company even opens its doors for business.

First, fastest, brightest

If you've really got a story that's unique -- you're the first, or the biggest, or the strongest, or the loudest -- then you have a certifiably newsworthy story. RoseTel System Inc. (www.rosetelsystem.com), a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of the world's first streaming, real-time video delivered through plain old telephone lines, scored a touchdown with this angle in January 2003, when their system helped the city of San Diego maintain surveillance, security and order during the Super Bowl. The story became especially significant because on the day of the big game, the Internet, which would have carried other forms of video, was crippled by a global virus. RoseTel was able to honestly state that their video communication system was the first and only one in the world that could have performed so affordably and so well that day -- and as a result, their story was picked up around the country from one simple wire release.

Rags to riches

Stories about the GWOG (Guy Working Out of Garage) who strikes it rich are still unusual. Steve Jobs of Apple may be one of the best examples of a rags-to-riches story, but there are countless examples of this. Jack Daley, president of the Triarch Group, a San Diego-based consulting firm that works with tech-driven companies to systematize their approach to innovation, delights in telling a rags-to-riches story from his own experience. His client, the company that eventually became Network Solutions (still the biggest registrar for domain names on the Internet) was started with a cash advance on a credit card and eventually grew into a multimillion-dollar monster. Now that's a story.

Free advice

Remember the ad campaign in the 1970s that urged you to write away to a major petroleum company for free booklets on auto maintenance, safety and repair? (Hint: The booklets were yellow, and the logo is still red. Looks a bit like ... a seashell.) School children across America learned to write "business letters" by carefully printing "Dear Sir" requests to that company, and even 30 years later, people remember the company's generosity with a warm, fuzzy feeling. You can't beat free advice for building trust.

Did you know?

You can assert all you want. But numbers make it real. Research -- real, proprietary research, carried out by you, with numbers that you own --can be a great way to get attention. San Diego-based Metabolife Inc. just wrapped up a year-long research initiative that resulted in mentions and stories in several national publications. What did they do? They got numbers, and they used them. Did you know that 47 percent of people say everyone is out of shape at their high school reunion? Metabolife did the studies, found the numbers, then turned the statistics into a great opportunity for publicity.

The wires

Once you've got a newsworthy story, how do you get the word out? One option is to hit the news wire services yourself. Both the PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) and Business Newswire (www.businessnewswire.com) are membership-based services that require you to join in order to distribute your releases. Prices for releases can range from as little as $125 for a statewide distribution to $600 for national, or several thousand dollars for an international release. For this price, which is much less than postage, your brief release will cross the country or the globe, passing in front of the eyes of thousands of editors in tens of thousands of media outlets.

There are also services that will take on the task of distribution for you, especially if you're a small firm or don't have a dedicated staff to make contact, handle releases, or do follow up. One such service, E-releases (www.ereleases.com), for example, will do as little or as much as you want to help you get the word out. They'll even write your release for you, for a nominal fee, shaping your story in ways they know are likely to garner the most attention. They'll also distribute for around $350, and send you links showing you where your story was run online (a great deal that saves you hundreds of dollars, because it includes a national distribution via PR Newswire).

Finally, no public relations expert would ever say there isn't at least some element of chance involved in what stories get picked up and which ones don't. It's best to take a "water drip" approach. Every little bit makes a difference, even if you can't see them for each droplet. Still, after a while, water will wear away a stone, and your story can break through the clutter in the same way.

Henry DeVries is a marketing coach and writer specializing in lead generation for professional service firms. An adjunct marketing professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the author of "Self Marketing Secrets" and the recently published "Client Seduction." Visit http://www.newclientmarketing.com or e-mail questions to henry@newclientmarketing.com.

© 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. You are free to use this material in whole or in part in pint, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.

The attribution should read:

"By Henry DeVries of the New Client Marketing Institute. Please visit Henry's web site at http://www.newclientmarketing.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."

Too Much To Do Four Keys To Effective Delegating

2009-01-30T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Paul Lemberg

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. General George S. Patton

Many people think they have too many important things to do, but thats not the real problem. The real problem is either 1) you are trying to do them all yourself, 2) you have no way for anyone else to do them, or 3) all of them simply aren't that important.

One solution is to shrink the things you classify as important, and that avenue should certainly be your first step. But for most people, the leftovers still leave too much to do. I myself am in that category, as is almost everyone I know. You probably are too - especially if you are talking about doing it all yourself...

Enter delegation.

Successful delegation is one of the critical success factors for anyone who wants to be an effective entrepreneur or leader. My definition of leadership is, getting things done through the medium of other people. If you want to do big things you have to extend your reach beyond your ability to do everything at once. So you must lead and you must delegate. It's axiomatic.

And the harder you try to hold on to things, the faster they will get away from you. And the more important your project, the faster it will spin out of control. Especially for us control freaks, lack of good delegating skills can be a real show stopper.

In my business coaching practice, and in Quantum Growth Coaching - our franchise for business coaches - we find that delegation is difficult, even frightening, for many people.

Why?

First of all, you may enjoy doing the thing you have to delegate, and it's hard to give up something you genuinely like...

You may think you do it better than anyone else. You imagine it won't get done as well as if you did it. How could it, if you're the best...

You are certain it won't get done your way...

You may even believe if you don't do that thing, you won't have enough to do. This last is totally laughable, since we began this article with you having too much to do. And yet, in your gut, part of you feels this way...

Know this: whatever things you should give away and don't will get shorter shrift and less attention than they deserve. And if they are important at all, these things will become bottlenecks blocking the continued growth and success of your business - if they aren't doing so already.

So here they are - the four keys to successful and effective delegation.

Give the job to someone who can get it done. That means they have two things: Either they can get the skills, knowledge and resources needed or they have a systemized process for doing it, and, they have the time for it. Don't dump your projects onto someone who has neither the wherewithal nor the availability. If you do that you are simply setting them up to fail and setting yourself up for disappointment.
You know that old adage, if you want something done, give it to a busy person? That may be true from the standpoint of giving your project to someone who is 'can-do.' But if you give your project or problem to someone just like you - someone who is already too busy - what are the chances? Don't just hand things over to the next warm body. Get buy-in from the delegate. Are they okay with this thing? Do they have the time? The resources? The energy? Are they enrolled, or is this just more work for someone who is already overburdened?

Communicate your 'conditions of satisfaction.' Have a clear picture of what success looks like. Did you ever ask someone to do something which came back quite different than you thought it would? Be sure you have mutual agreement on the critical requirements. How do you want it to look? What are the parameters? Are there any special processes that need to be engaged? Particular people you want engaged? What format must it take? And - often most importantly - by when?
Use SMART (specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, time-based) goals to clarify the desired outcome along with a timeline for the thing's accomplishment. Also, if necessary, set up a measurement system that will help you and your delegate know whether things are on or off track. You can abbreviate this step if the task is simple, but make sure to have your bases covered.

Work out a plan. How will it get done? This does not mean you should micro-manage, that's the very opposite of what you need. But one key to successful delegating is knowing the thing can get done and will get done. Depending on the degree of difficulty, you may ask that the first step of the plan is to work out the plan. In other cases, your request may be simple and a plan not necessary. But think this through-decide whether a plan is needed, and make sure there is one.

Establish a feedback loop.
How are you going to get updates and give feedback or advice? When are you going to speak or meet? How frequently? Will they send you an email, or a formal progress report? Create some pre-defined mechanism that will keep you informed, and to give them an opportunity to seek guidance if appropriate.

Delegating is not abdicating

There is a big difference between these two. When you abdicate you are saying - I'm neither responsible nor accountable for the results. When you delegate, you are still accountable for the results. You are asking someone else to do the work, but it's ultimately your work. To paraphrase Harry Truman, the buck still stops with you. Lack of easy-to-communicate, easy-to-duplicate systems is another reason people have trouble having too much to do, but that is entire subject in itself, and I'll address it at another time.

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Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include Pauls name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links.

Paul Lemberg is the President of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only business coaching franchise system built from the ground up to rapidly create more profits and more life for entrepreneurs. Paul also runs a business coaching company specializing in helping entrepreneurial companies quickly increase short term profits for sustainable long term growth. Of course, he is available for keynote speeches and workshops and can be reached at his personal business coaching website.

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth Powerful Lessons In Marketing Amp The Psychology Of Selling Part 2

2009-01-29T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Ian Canaway

NB: You can read part one here: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=58690

Could buying popcorn in a theatre be a 'conditioned' response? Could it be that people are 'trained' to believe that movies and popcorn go 'hand in hand' - and that one without the other is...."incomplete?" And, therefore, price is just not an issue at all?

What a powerful place to be as a marketer, wouldn't you agree?

Of course, there are some customers who fall in the above group yet still aren't completely happy with the experience. They still end up buying the popcorn because the desire to have popcorn with their movie outweighs the pain of having to pay the higher price.

Here are more answers that I received...

"It is marketed as all part of the movie going experience! And they've got a captive audience - you can't get it in there unless you buy it from them. So if you want to experience the movie it it's fullest extent, you need to get the popcorn, and it needs to be their popcorn."

And another...

"First off may I say it is the conditioning that the movie theatres, producers etc have done. Movies and popcorn go hand in hand. The movie goer has been conditioned all throughout life, so that is what is on their minds when going to a movie. Once at the movies the smell of popcorn cooking, the power of the senses reinforces the thought of movies and popcorn. Once at the movies you are a captive audience."

Yep. As, you can see, there's more than one marketing principle at work here. Stacked on top of each other, these strategies produce the overall result that's very powerful and very effective.

I'll go over each one below. And...I'll also cover one big mistake movie theatres are making.

Let's discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":

1. Conditioning and Programmed Responses

Since childhood, people have been 'conditioned' to associate popcorn with movies. Growing up, many of us enjoyed popcorn with our favourite movies, and we now see a bag of popcorn as an addition to the "overall" movie-enjoying experience. Some of us even see it as a 'requirement' to watching a movie.

Here's how one of my smart subscribers explained it

"I think cinemas are relying on a very strong emotion -- nostalgia. Many of our happiest memories from childhood probably involve experiencing wonderful movies, maybe Bambi or Mary Poppins. It is likely that popcorn accompanied these life-changing events. Whenever we go to see a movie, popcorn will be linked with some of our happiest memories. I'm surprise they can't get away with charging more!"

Bingo! We have been conditioned and 'trained' to believe that movies and popcorn go hand in hand. Watching a movie without having popcorn somehow doesn't seem 'complete.'

Eating popcorn by itself may or may not do anything for people. But, having popcorn while enjoying a movie is the "icing on the cake." It enhances the movie-going experience.

Yet, others are conditioned to want to munch on 'something' while they're watching a movie, be it popcorn, a hotdog, or any other snack. Because of this conditioning, they will buy something from the concession stand, despite the high prices.

But here's what's really interesting... movie theatres didn't create this demand or 'conditioned' response. They simply aligned with an 'existing' demand, an existing 'conditioning' and fulfilled it.

What are the other demands and 'conditioning' mechanisms that exist around you which you could tap into and profit from? Look around. I'm sure you'll start to see many of them once you shift your focus towards that.

To read the rest of this special report, you can download it here: http://www.trafficstrategiesonsteroids.com/popcorn.pdf

(Feel free to use this article online and in your email newsletters as long as you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. The by-line and resource box must remain in the article all links must be active hyperlinks.)

Ian Canaway Reveals A Breakthrough Internet Home Business System Which Uncovers The Secrets To Getting Rich On The Web Using 3 Simple Strategies! Click Here To Find Out How You Can Make Money Online.

Multiple Streams Of Income 5 Reasons Why You Absolutely Need It

2009-01-28T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Michele Pariza Wacek

I've become enamored with the word "multiple," especially when it pertains to business. I especially like the idea of harnessing the power of the multiple to grow your business multiple times over.

There are a lot of things that can be multiple in a business, but in this article I'm focusing on multiple streams of income. In a nutshell, multiple streams of income means your business has more then one way to make money. For instance, you sell products and you sell services. Those are multiple streams of incomes. Why do you need them? Below are five reasons:

1. Make money while you sleep. This is a big one for those of us who sell our time (also known as providing services). The biggest drawback to selling time is when you aren't working, you aren't making money. So when you're on vacation, relaxing over the weekend or (gasp) sleeping, no money is coming into the business. But let's say you create a product or two to sell in addition to your services. Now you've just created a passive income stream (passive meaning it doesn't require yours or anyone else's time). So if you are taking a nap or out walking the dogs, money can still be coming into your business. (What a concept!)

2. Leverage your time. This is especially true with income streams that are passive. Basically you're making money without it taking any of your time. Therefore, you can spend your time doing something else and still enjoy money coming in from a passive income stream. This is a good way to use your time wisely. (Rather than work for an hour, get paid for an hour, you can be paid several times in several different ways during that same hour.)

3. Fill your pipeline. If all you sell is high-priced services, it can be difficult getting clients to hire you. After all, clients need to trust you and trust they're getting a good deal for their money. If you offer products or lower-priced services, you're giving those customers a chance to "try you out" before plunking down several thousand dollars for a major project or consulting work. Because your clients' initial investment is lower, you have a chance to lower their resistance to hiring you.

4. Catch a variety of clients. No matter what you offer, a part of your target market is not going to be interested in hiring you. Why? Because they'd rather do it themselves. Or maybe they don't have the money to hire you. Or maybe they do the same thing you do and would rather learn from you to better their own skills. By offering a product or a class or a group option, you're widening your net. Not only are you able to help more people, but you'll also be making more money doing it.

5. Diversify. The more income streams you have, the less devastating it will be to lose one. Not to be negative, but things happen. Industries change. Economies change. People want different things. If all you offer is services, and those services suddenly become obsolete, what happens to your business? Or, a more likely scenario, what if you lose your biggest client? Or a couple big clients at the same time? Sure, eventually you'll find other clients to make up the difference, but what happens in the meantime? What if it takes a month or two or six? Your bills certainly won't wait that long. But if you have other income streams, a dip in your services (or a dip in product income) is no longer so scary because you'll still have money coming in.

Creativity Exercise -- Find time to create multiple income streams

Probably the hardest part of creating multiple income streams is a lack of time, especially when your primary business is service based. So, now that you know how important it is, how are you going to find the time to start doing it?

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

* Hire a virtual assistant (VA) or bookkeeper to take care of some tasks you have no business doing anyway.

* Create systems in your business so you can complete business tasks faster and more efficiently.

* Raise your prices so you can take on fewer clients and make more money.

* Dedicate a Saturday or Sunday to working on your business. (Be careful with this one as you could very quickly end up burning yourself out.)

Get a pen and paper and do some brainstorming to see how you can find more time to start creating more income streams.

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site http://www.michelepw.com Copyright 2006 Michele Pariza Wacek.

Discover The Basics Of A Unique Selling Proposition

2009-01-27T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by L A Parmley

Having a USP helps make you look like you are on the customer's side and not just out to prey on unsuspecting passer bys. Instead of raving how you're number 1 (like everyone else), you can appeal to their benefits.

Prospective customers really don't care how great your company is (especially if it's coming from you) or how long you've been in business. They want to know what's in it for them. What benefits will they get if they buy from you instead of your competition? That's your USP. What sets you apart from your competition?

Here are the basics to a profit pulling USP:

Your USP should set you apart favorably.
Your aim is to try to fill an obvious void in the marketplace.
Your positioning should set you apart from your competition.

In the process, it should get prospective customers excited about your product or service.

When people think of what you sell or have to offer, you want them to think of you.

You want to cement an important benefit or promise to your product or service. And you want this benefit to be important enough to get consumers clamoring to buy from you.

Over the years, USP's have been shown to be a highly effective means for advertising. This has held true for giant corporations and even small businesses and service professionals.

Some of the more popular USP's have been used for decades! I'm sure you'll recognize these two...

"Wonder Bread helps build strong bodies in eight ways."

"Certs breath mints with a magic drop of retsyn."

USP's are everywhere, if you take the time to notice. Keep learning about this positioning tactic and you'll never look at advertising the same!

Would you like to create a profit pulling unique selling proposition for your small business or professional service? Discover how by visiting Positioning Tactics and sign up for our free ecourse.

Its Time To Give Yourself A Raise

2009-01-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Connie Scholl

"With the economy the way that it is, it's just not a good time for me to raise my rates..." If I increase my fees, my current clients won't be able to afford my services..." "No way! I just can't bring myself to tell my clients that I have new fees."

Sound Familiar?!

I often hear comments such as the ones above when I suggest clients consider raising their rates. (Now, I don't advise all my clients to do this, I only suggest it when it's clear to me that the value of the service they are providing far outweighs what's currently being charged.) Typically, this idea is met with a bit of resistance until I explain WHY they deserve it, and how asking for a raise is going to help them generate even MORE clients!

Are You Ready for a Raise? (Here's how to go about it!)

First, decide that you deserve a raise, then determine the dollar amount you're comfortable with. If you're not sure what your new fee should be, do some research by calling around to your competitors and find out what the "going rate" is. Choose an increase that feels "right" for you. (But please, if you're going to go through the process at all, make sure the increase is an amount that will make a difference in your bank statement).

Next, tell your clients: Inform prospects of your new fee right away, but give your existing clients the courtesy of a month or so notice. Post a sign, mail a letter, or verbally let them know that your rates will be changing from $X amount on X rate. Don't make excuses. If a client asks you why you're raising your rates, you can simply let them know that you have added extra value to your service with a particular certification, or that you're simply increasing fees to keep pace with inflation and the cost of doing business. (Never tell clients that it's because you need more money!)

If you're really worried about how your clients will react, turn the rate increase into a win-win situation by offering them the opportunity to pre-purchase a "bundle" of your services before your new rates go into effect.

My coaching clients continually report to me that after they've gone ahead and finally implemented a rate increase that business is actually better than it was before. This doesn't surprise me. Clients want to do business with confident service professionals who VALUE THEIR OWN TIME. Once you value yours, your clients always follow suit.

c) Connie Scholl 2006

Connie Scholl of ConnieCoach.com provides self- employed service professionals with simple, effective and low-cost marketing solutions designed to quickly jump-start sales and consistently generate new clients. Get free marketing tips and "how-to-articles" at http://www.conniecoach.com

Reverse The Risk And Boost Your Profits

2009-01-25T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Larry Lim

As a business owner or marketer, if you don't reverse the risk in your product and/or service offerings, you're really missing out in what can be one of the most powerful weapons in your marketing arsenal.

Risk Reversal Defined

Risk Reversal, in essence, means that you, the business owner, assumes all the risks associated with the business transactions, and your customers none.

Why Reverse The Risk?

The main reason that you'll want to reverse the risk is so that you may boost your sales and profits.

Risk Reversal can easily be achieved by providing an Extraordinary Guarantee. An example would be an iron-clad, no-questions-asked money back guarantee.

Buyers, especially Internet Buyers, are generally skeptical. This is particularly so if they've never dealt with you or your business before. Your credibility is in question and the trust yet to be established. Even if they are your existing customers, it's imperative that you employ this powerful marketing concept of Risk Reversal by offering a strong and extraordinary guarantee...

... Here's Why:

Having a strong guarantee is one of the most effective ways to counter the skepticism and fears of the buyers in doing business with you.

If your customers or potential customers see a guarantee, especially an extraordinary one, they can be pretty certain that they'll get what they're after.

It shows them that you're confident about, and have a strong belief in, your products and/or services.

It also goes to show that you're reliable and trustworthy, and if they're not satisfied with your offerings, they've nothing to lose.

The end result is that you'll dramatically boost your sales and profits - sales and profits you would not have seen without the strong guarantee.

Here's an example:

Let's say in any of your promotional campaign, you normally sell 500 units of your product. Through a strong guarantee, you increase your sales by 8% or 40 units without spending any additional funds on advertising.

This translates to a total sale of 540 units for that campaign.

Let's say you later experience a 10% refund of the additional sale of 40 units, that is, 4 units (10% X 40 units), which you won't.

Even after the refund, you'll still make an additional sale of 36 units just by offering a strong guarantee. These are sales that you'll never get without the guarantee.

Now you can see how a strong guarantee will boost your sales and profits.

Then Why Are Many Business Owners Unwilling To Offer Such A Guarantee?

Many business owners have the misconception that people are only concern about the price of the product or service. Price, no doubt is a factor but only a minor one, and only to a certain extent. If the customers want something, and if you're able to address their concerns and fulfill what they want, they'll gladly buy what you have to offer.

Many business owners are also afraid that they'll be ripped off. Just in case you think that you'll be ripped off by offering guarantees, research have shown that this rarely happens as 99.5% of people are generally honest. Of course, there'll be a few moral rejects who'll take advantage of you but the additional customers that you'll gain will more than offset the few that'll take advantage of you.

Furthermore, very few people will go through the process of actually returning something that they've bought, unless of course, you've infuriated them. If you're a savvy business owner or marketer, you should know better than to infuriate your customers.

Think about this - the process of asking for a refund is a socially uncomfortable one; it takes confidence and self-assurance to ask for a refund even if you're openly offering one.

Now, I must add that in order for your guarantee to achieve the objective of boosting your sales and profits, you'll need to bear the following in mind:

1. You'll need to have a quality product and/or service
2. You'll need to address the customers' deepest frustrations
3. There shouldn't be any unreasonable conditions attached to it
4. It should preferably be for at least a minimum period of 90 days or more.

An example of a strong guarantee will be:

"Try out the product for a full 365 days! If it does not double your sales by the end of the 365 days, just return it and we will cheerfully refund your full purchase price."

I believe you can see the power of the above statement. It implies that you're so confident of your product that you're assuming all the risks, not the customer.

Once you've got over the fear of reversing the risk, you'll be ready to offer bold guarantees. A bold guarantee sends the message to your potential customers that "you're reliable and your offerings are of high quality". It takes away the risks associated with the purchase of your products and/or services, and it also lends you credibility.

As you can now see, risk reversal is one of the most effective ways to boost your sales and profits. Put this powerful marketing concept into practice immediately. Spend time on creating a sound and powerful guarantee, implement it, and you'll see your sales go through the roof.

About the Author

Larry Lim is a practising marketing strategist and tactician who dishes out highly effective marketing strategies and tactics that will enable you to successfully start and grow your business on the Internet.

His Internet Marketing Strategy website is jam-packed with internet marketing secrets and softwares that will skyrocket your sales, and shoot your profits through the roof.

Visit http://www.articlesphere.com to read more of Larry Lim's articles.

Is The Answer Quotbe Like Nikequot

2009-01-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tom Dougherty

In the media crazy world in which we live, when Nike presents a new tag line, or Mr. Potato Head rises from pop culture purgatory to represent a modern version of the Jolly Green Giant, advertising becomes big news. In the dog-eat-dog world of fast food, the business community clamors to snatch small gems of marketing wisdom.

How does this help us steal share? Does it work? Has the game changed? Years ago, brand was loosely defined as a "promise to the consumer of a perceived value." Corporations have spent billions of dollars building brands, books have been written, and articles have been published. Marketing experts told us that brand was the most important discipline in today's advertising arena. Yet customers have spent years telling us that brand was not working.

Traditional Branding

If traditional branding worked in the manner in which it was designed, you would expect that there would be a sizable discrepancy in price between generic and branded products. You would also expect to see robust margins in branded products and a distinct consumer preference for the promise of value that the brand delivers. However, what we see is great similarity in products, and hardly a national brand exists that is not competing in the arena of price.

Consider the history of the brand story. It started as a means of product identity and differentiation. It did not take a rocket scientist to understand the basics. If the consumer had a good experience with a product or service, then he/she might look for that same brand the next time he/she needed it. Brand managers understood the need for consistency of look and feel. It made life easier and made sense of choice.

But the marketplace was not nearly so crowded in those days. When David Ogilvy helped make Hathaway a respected brand, it competed with a small group of other national brands, and an even smaller group of generic no-name shirt manufacturers. Agencies at the time discovered that if you created a brand image for products, sales increased.

The Crowded Market

Enter the creative revolution of the 60's a time when advertising for inanimate objects started with an infusion of human attributes. If the creative team thought of the product in human terms (modern, forward thinking, etc.), the advertising seemed more effective.

Soon the market became more crowded as more messages and choices vied for the consumer's mindset. Unique Selling Proposition (USP) was incorporated into the mix. Couple human attributes with the latest in product benefit and branding, as we now know it, was launched.

Brand worked but not because of the human attributes called desired brand image. The advertising was more effective simply because it was more memorable. Imbue an advertisement with human traits, and consumers are more apt to remember it. It worked because we were able to tell a better story.

Is USP the Answer?

But is USP a cornerstone for stealing share? I think not. It is the antithesis of brand objectives. Purchases are not intellectual activities. They ARE emotional ones. Few consumers walk the market aisles armed with the latest copy of Consumer Reports. No one picks the products or services they consume as a result of a "T" chart, neatly plotted with the pros and cons of purchasing. And this brings me back to the beginning.

This is why Nike is still news. Is the Nike athletic shoe better than its branded competitors? Is it worth four times the cost of its generic copycat? Does it make you run faster, jump higher, and land a multi-million dollar place on a NBA roster? I think we can all say that it is none of the above. Consumers pay a market multiple of FOUR to have the logo on their shoes. Nike is confident that they will do the same for anything else they decide to brand.

If you want to steal share, your brand must recognize that every purchase a consumer makes, no matter how small, holds within its nucleus the DNA of self- description. In this complicated and crowded world, where social and cultural identifications have been dashed on the rocks, real brandface is recognizable and indisputable. Show me myself, not as I am but as I wish to be and I will buy it every time. In fact, I will feel incomplete without it once I know it exists. In the face of a crowded marketplace, it pushes the competition under.

REAL brand BRANDS the customer, not the product. It actively tells the customer who they are when they use it. Does it work? Ask Nike.

Tom Dougherty CEO, Senior Strategist at Stealing Share, Inc. Tom began his strategic marketing and branding career in Saudi Arabia working for the internationally acclaimed Saatchi & Saatchi. His brand manager at the time referred to Tom as a "marketing genius," and Tom demonstrated his talents to clients such as Ariel detergent, Pampers and many other brands throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. After his time overseas, Tom returned to the US where he worked for brand agencies in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. He continued to prove himself as a unique and strategic brand builder for global companies. Tom has led efforts for brands such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clark, Fairmont Hotels, Coldwell Banker, Homewood Suites (of Hilton), Tetley Tea, Lexus, Sovereign Bank, and McCormick to name a few.

Trade Show Planning The Bda 10 Quotbefore The Showquot

2009-01-23T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jim Hawkins

Great! You've finally got the approval to attend a Trade Show. Now what? Trade shows can either be a very expensive excuse to get out of the office for a few days, lug around heavy display cases, party too much and sleep too little, and get flat feet standing around on concrete all day long, OR it can energize your company's Sales program immediately, and for many months to come. How do you ensure it's "Door Number 2", and not a wasted opportunity?

PLANNING!

A major trade show requires considerable advance preparation and, if you aren't ready, can present a logistical nightmare. You must develop a solid plan and monitor your progress vigilantly.

Now, let's be brutally honest - when it comes to planning, someone from your Sales Department may not be the best choice much like you don't use a hammer to drive in a screw (at least I hope you don't). Top Salespeople are prized for their people-skills, and their ability to SELL, but when it comes to longer term planning and attention to detail, they come up short. Do the entire company a favor and put your most anal-retentive (that's a good thing!), details-oriented person in charge of the planning, under your supervision, of course!

And now (drum roll please), here's the first of the BDA 10. The ten things to keep in mind Before your Trade Show.

Before the Show

1. Select "your" Trade Show carefully.

Participating in a trade show requires a major investment of time, money, and resources. Be tough in your evaluation of a show's "worthiness". Are the attendees likely customers for your business? Better one small, focused show, than a "monster" Trade Show that doesn't fit your profile.

2. Before all else fails, read the manual.

Before you go too much further, make sure you have the Trade Show's manual (usually mailed to you by the show's organizers right after registering for your booth, but it can sometimes be found on-line. Be sure to ask.) Everything you need to know about the show should be there, including registration information and forms, schedules and floor plans, booth specifications, invitations for potential speakers, etc., etc.

3. Identify your goals.

What exactly do you want to accomplish at this Trade Show? Do you want to gain exposure to potential customers who might be interested in your products, increase visibility, or see what the competition is up to? Concrete goals are important to determine the ROI of the Trade Show to your business.

4. Define measurements of success your "Trade Show ROI".

Determine a way to measure each goal's (see #3, above) success, as specifically as possible. Plan on handing out 1000 promotional flyers, make contact with at least 100 prospects, and take a key client out to lunch. These ROI benchmarks will help you decide whether the show was worth the expense, and whether you should attend next year.

5. Put your Trade Show plan in writing.

The plan should include a detailed schedule, a full list of preparation tasks, and an individual assigned for each task. Never leave anything to chance, or "we'll catch that later".

6. Spread the word - Let people know about your Trade Show participation.

Advertise well before the Trade Show! Use tag lines such as: "see us at Booth 1234 at the 2006 World's Biggest Trade Show" in news releases and other communications (even unrelated communications) leading up to the Trade Show. Put the Trade Show logo on your corporate website under "Coming Events". Invite prospects (and current customers) to stop by the booth, or set up appointments between them and your Trade Show personnel. Do a pre-show e-mail blitz.

7. Order all Trade Show supplies early, including brochures and giveaways.

Take care of any marketing material updates or redesigns early. Don't run the risk of having nothing to hand out! Design clear forms (to eliminate guesswork) for filling out prospect information. Consider giveaways to generate attention and a bit of excitement. These don't have to be expensive - pens with your web address and a catchy slogan can be just as effective. Be creative with something specific to your industry. Think of something that someone did at a previous Trade Show that impressed you, and then steal it!

8. Home Sweet Home - Design an open, inviting booth.

Invite attendees to come in to "your home" with an open booth design, with no obstructing tables or displays. Maximize "walking around" space by mounting brochure displays on walls. Use interesting graphics to catch peoples' eyes. Your logo should be big enough to be seen from a good distance. For demos, laptops and flat-screen monitors are space-efficient. Think about providing comfortable chairs to encourage prospects to linger (space permitting). (Hint: Splurge a bit and order that carpet underlay your feet and back will thank you for it).

9. Create a unique identity for your Trade Show personnel.

Decide on the dress code for your people. Matching vests, Golf shirts, or even boutonnieres will make your representatives easily identifiable. To avoid that "rumbled uniform" look by the third day of the show, make sure everyone has spare shirts.

10. Train your Trade Show personnel before each show.

Your people need to know what is expected of them. They need to be briefed on all new features and offerings. They must know how to run the demos and presentations, and they should know some basic trouble shooting. Nothing looks more unprofessional then demos that don't work, and supposed "experts" fumbling for an answer.

Jim Hawkins works at Windward Software, developers of Point of Sale software, and, among other things, is responsible for organizing Trade Show attendance. While he doesn't actually attend many, he does love to tell people what to do.

Small Business Marketing Secrets Know When To Fold Em And When To Hold Em

2009-01-22T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Kevin Stirtz

Part of being successful in business is to know when there's no deal.

You need to know when to walk away from people whom you might think of as good prospects, because when you take a good honest look at them, you realize they'll probably never do business with you.

It's natural that we over-work some potential business relationships. It's easy to do. We meet someone whose business appears to need what we offer. They seem interested and willing to engage. A warm relationship develops. Everything looks perfect as we think we are moving toward the end goal of doing business.

But the deal is never done. It seems we get caught in this endless cycle of meetings and phone calls, all of which are pleasant but not productive. For some reason we get stuck.

It's unfortunate when this happens because it wastes our valuable time. And, it's easy for this to happen, because many of the people we meet are nice people. In fact, many of the relationships we develop are very real and fulfilling.

The problem is they do nothing for our business.

The solution to keep from getting caught in this trap is to always remember why we're there. It's great to have fun and to develop new friendships. But, don't let them prevent you from moving on to the real business relationships that turn into customers or clients.

I've found it helpful to remember our sales cycle. I keep in mind the steps most our prospects go through as they move toward becoming a customer.

If a prospect is not moving through these steps, I ask myself why not. If I don't have a good answer, then I ask them the same question. And I set benchmarks so I can objectively measure if I'm spending too much time with a situation that is likely not going to turn into a business deal.

A caveat: don't go to the other extreme and push people too hard to close a deal. And don't give up too soon. Some sales trainers say stop talking to someone after the second contact. I disagree.

Most new business relationships require 8 to 15 contacts before a deal develops. It's the power of repetition at work building trust and credibility between you and the other person. Some relationships take more time to grow than others. Don't disregard the power of repetition.

The best strategy is to prioritize your prospects and leverage your time. Develop ways to stay in touch with people that don't always require face time. Emails and regular mail (postcards, notes, articles, newsletters) are good ways to keep in touch with people without physically being in front of them.

By leveraging your time, yet staying in touch with prospective customers, you enable these new relationships to develop. And you still have quality time to spend with those people who are moving through your sales cycle and who intend to do business with you.

So, know when to walk away, but find ways to keep in touch, so you don't walk away too soon!

Kevin Stirtz has developed a unique concept called "Blow Up Your Business." He speaks to groups of professionals and business owners who want to attract more customers and put more money in their pocket. Kevin can be reached at http://www.KevinStirtz.com or 952-212-4681.

Lessons From The Kitchen

2009-01-21T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lorraine Ball

Years ago my mother told me the secret to making a great stew. I am not much of a cook, but her advice makes a lot of sense when you are trying to build a great company, product or brand:

1. Use a variety of ingredients for distinctive taste.
2. Be patient - Cook over a low heat, slowly to allow the flavors to build.
3. Follow a recipe, but don't be afraid to adjust the seasonings to personal taste.

Use Flavorful Ingredients

Start with diversity. Recruit people with different backgrounds and talents to enrich the flavor. Have at least one person on your team with no experience in your industry. (Not a rookie, just someone with a totally different background.)

This individual will keep you on your toes, asking why, challenging the status quo. They may make you uncomfortable and force you to stop doing things because you have always done them that way.

Simmer Slowly

Keep your team together. Too often, just when a team has really come together, someone moves on. Companies often promote "fast-track" employees every 18 months. This is a disservice to the employee and the company. They never stay around long enough to see the impact of their decisions and the team has to start over with a new player.

Set realistic expectations. Encourage people to sign up for 3 year assignments. Then make it worth their while. Reward them for staying with increases similar to what they would receive if they switched assignments.

Teams that stay together have greater commitments to each other and team goals. Remember that great recipes are not cooked in a microwave; they are slow, measured and organized.

Adjust your Recipe

Start with a plan, so everyone knows where you are going and what role they play.

Establish periodic review sessions to taste your stew. Are you on target, meeting deadlines? Do the actions plans still make sense? Have there been changes in the business climate which require adjustments in the strategy?

Document and communicate the changes and the reasons why, so everyone in the organization understands where you are headed.

Serving Suggestions

Every great chef knows half the secret is in the presentation. An attractive plate or the right garnish make the dinner more appealing.

Keep that in mind when selling ideas to team members, management, customers, suppliers and investors. Each group will have slightly different tastes. Serve them the right amount of information in a format they will relate to.

A twenty year veteran of corporate America, today Lorraine Ball helps small business owners use planning and creative thinking as a starting point for growth and change.

Active in the local business community, Lorraine is the recipient of 2005 Rainmaker of the Year Award. She serves on the boards of Rainmakers and the Network of Women in Business.

Why Do You Need To Be In The Serps

2009-01-20T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Scott Hendison

Why does your business need to be in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)?

Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing both have the same goal, which is to help visitors find your website. Ten years ago there was probably nobody searching online for your product or service. Five years ago, there may have been a couple of dozen people looking for it in any given week or month. Today, in 2005, you can be sure that there are many people actively seeking your products or services each and every day through the search engines. Can they find you there?

According to a Fall 2004 report by http://www.comscore.com/ nearly 40% of all internet connections in the United States are now broadband, "always on", high speed internet access. As this becomes the norm, there is also a steady merging or "convergence" going on between our computers, our cel phones, and even our television sets. Pretty soon, we'll all have access to worldwide information in the palm of our hands at any given moment. Do you think that might affect how customers are going to look for you?

It's never been more important to be listed in the Internet search engines and directories than it is right now. I see websites that have been around for years and never even been submitted to any search engines. (I've also seen sites get penalized by the search engines for improper or "over submission", so don't rush out and do it!).

Yet some of these same businesses will pour hundreds or thousands of dollars each month into local Yellow page advertising because they believe it to be the most effective form of advertising. Well, phone book use has been steadily declining over the past 10 years, and it's not bouncing back any time soon.

Why would anyone open up a big heavy book, when they can just click and type "West Los Angeles plumber" and find immediate phone numbers? Online, they can also find maps, hours, prices, and even sound clips and informational videos. With high speed Internet now available in most metropolitan areas on cel phones, you can forget about it!

For some businesses, being on page one of the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) will be more valuable than having a full page ad in the Yellow Pages ever was. Those thick phone books are going the way of the dinosaur, I guarantee it. Ten years from now, how cost effective will it be to publish, print and distribute these books when nobody uses them or wants to advertise in them anymore?

Your business probably has a website already, and that's a good start. But are you ahead of the curve in your industry nationally? How about locally? If you're selling Rolex watches or male potency pills, you're admittedly behind the 8 ball, but if you're a local business person, take stock in your future today. Make some time to check out your competition. Go to Google or Yahoo and search for your product or service in your city or state. How many total results come up, and are you or your competition in the SERPS?

Compare those well ranked websites with the largest most expensive listings in the Qwest Dex (or your local) Yellow pages. Are the same companies at the top of the search results that have the largest print ads? I'll bet they're not. You might be surprised that some of the biggest industry names in your city are practically nowhere to be found in the search results. Of course this isn't true for all industries, but it still is for most of them. This opens a huge window of opportunity for the savvy business owner. Diversifying your marketing dollars to include your website will simply have the best ROI (Return On Investment) for your company's future.

Scott Hendison is living in Oregon, and is the owner of Portland Technology Consultants. He is a computer and internet consultant, and has been in the industry since 1995. For over 75 other articles, visit his website at http://www.pdxtc.com

20 Marketing Ideas To Get Your Business Moving Forward

2009-01-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Charles Brown

Need more ideas to give your marketing efforts a shot in the arm? Here are some ideas to get your marketing efforts moving forward:

Develop "free samples" of your service. Usually the best samples are written or recorded information. Write a tip sheet or a short list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Record a speech you give to a local organization.
Improve your existing advertising by writing ten new headlines for your newspaper or Yellow Page ads. Test these new headlines against your existing headlines in small classified ads. Measure the results and let the winner be the headline the next time you run a larger ad in the Yellow Pages or newspaper.
Host a wine tasting or open house in your place of business. Invite several potential clients and prepare a short talk on a topic of interest to them. Use the tip sheets or free samples you prepared above to give to each attendee.
Request testimonials from your best clients.
Volunteer yourself and your employees to assist in a charitable cause. For example, your team could man the phones at the next public radio or television membership drive or help other organizations with fund raising.
Join a new group. Select organizations that allow you to get involved and meet potential clients or networking contacts.
Find a non-competing business that serves the same client base as you. Approach this business about forming an alliance and sharing referrals.
Sponsor a talk and invite a visiting expert on a topic of interest to your potential clients. Send out invitations and press releases to alert the media.
Get in touch with ex-clients who no longer do business with you. Find out how you can help them and get their suggestions about how to improve your services.
Sponsor a children's club or sports team.
Give an award for the "Best of ___." Use this award as a way to attract publicity.
Create a profile of your ideal client. Then determine what groups these ideal clients are members of or what specialized publications they read.
Find an online discussion group. www.boardtracker.com is a search engine that specializes in discussion groups. Just read the conversations as they go back and forth for a while (this is called "lurking"). Then, after you have a feel for the personalities involved and the group's protocol, start adding your own input.
Develop a "needs assessment" that you can use in new client interviews.
Do a client survey to uncover your strengths and weaknesses. Make it clear that you are seeking honest and open comments and are looking for ways to improve.
Become more active in your local Chamber of Commerce and other organizations that open up networking opportunities.
Create a list of reference books and CDs you can recommend.
Create a 21 word description of your business that clearly tells what you do, who you do this for, and what makes you distinctive. This is your "elevator speech" that can be used on your marketing materials, press releases and given to someone who introduces you at public speaking opportunities.
Find barter organizations or set up barter relationships on your own. Not only can you reduce the cost of goods and services your business needs, you will gain new clients.
Buy season tickets to a local sports team. If you take clients or give tickets to people you do business with, they will be tax deductible and fun as well.

Get busy today and build a fire under your business. Do something, get out there and watch your business grow.

freelance copywriter, writing web content, copywriting tips, ghost writer

Download your free copy of 99 Ideas For Writing Irresistible Web Content, written by Charles Brown, a Dallas, Texas based freelance copywriter who writes web copy, advertisements, white papers and direct mail. Subscribe to his "Freelance Copywriter Secrets" at http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at 817.715.3852 or **charbrow@gmail.com**.

Promotional Pen A Pen By Any Other Name

2009-01-18T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Cindy Carrera

Have you ever been among a group of people exchanging contact details? Notice the scramble for that good old-fashioned instrument, the pen. See the woman upturn her purse searching for one and the impatient expressions on the faces of the people with her. Watch their eyes light up when she finally finds it. The relief is palpable; information can now be taken down for use at a later stage. The pen makes it possible. In a second the tenuous relationship between man and pen is revitalized.

Now imagine that pen, the one receiving all the attention, having your logo on it. Imagine your logo sharing the limelight and all the positive associations that go with this rediscovery of the classic writing instrument. The promotional pen has made the impossible possible and your company name is on it.

Now a pen by any other name is still a pen but the logo, the logo you have cleverly chosen to have imprinted on your promotional pen, now that's what will be remembered. Remember to keep a bunch with you at all times; they're more effective than business cards. People don't use business cards for the daily business of putting something down on paper. Promotional pens don't just lie there waiting to be noticed, they do something that nothing else can do.

Once you have decided that you definitely want to invest in this highly reputable method of promotion your next challenge will be to find the exact promotional pen that deserves your credentials. There are thousands of them out there and they come in many different styles, colors and prices.

Sit for a moment and think. Do you want your promotional pen out there, casually participating in everyday life, humble but kind of proud, or do you see it languishing around in luxurious boardrooms and book-lined personal libraries?

All of this depends on your own particular market. Who are these people, where do they hang out and what do they think is important? You want the pen that you choose to promote your product, to fit right in there with them, to go where they go and to look right for every occasion.

Imagine the people you want to use your promotional pen. Do you see them with something sleek, a clip or grip pen, a jumbo or novelty pen. Trust me, with the range available, you can zone right in on the pen of their dreams. This means they will not lose it and the relationship will overflow into a very particular brand loyalty.

Then consider the color of the ink. Not elementary, my dear Watson. The fact is blue pens are most common, black ones are used for a lot of official paperwork and red ones, well, they're extroverts that like to make a statement.

Anything that bears your name should be worthy of the task. Every little detail of your promotional pen can be used to spell out the values your company represents.

Cindy Carrera is a freelance author who's written a number of original articles about promotional gifts and custom promotional products. Her articles offer fresh ideas and creative alternatives for the out-of-the-box marketer.

Knowing Who Your Ideal Clients Are

2009-01-17T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jennifer Woodard

Have you taken the time to decide and understand who your ideal clients are?

Thank about the clients that you currently have that you are excited about and enjoy working with.

When you take the time to identify the qualities of your ideal clients, then you will it will allow you to only work with clients that excite and motivate you.

What are some of the questions you ask about to figure out who your ideal clients are?

What are the benefits of working with my ideal clients? What qualities do my ideal clients have.

After you have listed the benefits of working with your ideal clients. Try and work with clients who have at least 75% of the characteristics of your ideal clients.

Example:

The benefits of working with my ideal clients:
I am excited about working with them
I look forward to communicating with them
I have a strong desire to see them succeed
I am willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for them
I have a deep connection with them and I am a advocate for their business
I feel successful and confident working with them

My ideal clients have these qualities:
They understand that marketing results take time and they are willing to work through the process
They are willing to think big and outside of the box
They are willing to take risks to stand out from the crowd
They believe wholeheartedly in the products or services that they offer
They are willing to work in partnership with me to obtain their goals
They don't sit back and wait for things to happen, they take action
They are positive in the their outlook and don't give up because of setbacks
They are wiling to invest long term in the marketing communications planning and execution
They seek open feedback and are willing to listen to a different point of view
They are colorful, interesting, engaging and energetic
They are open-minded

Now take the time to decide the benefits of working with your ideal clients and the characteristics of your ideal clients.

Jennifer Woodard is a freelance Marketing Communications Consultant offering a full range of communication services including but not limited to marketing, public relations, and book marketing. She specializes in working with Professional Service Firms, Professionals, Authors and Publishers. Visit her website at www.jenniferwoodard.biz and her blog at jenniferwoodard.blogspot.com

The Ultimate Question

2009-01-16T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Keith Starcher

Long-term, profitable growththat has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? That is the type of growth focused on in The Ultimate Question by Fred Reichheld.

The author's premise is that this type of growth will not occur unless you are creating delighted customers and measuring your progress in doing just that. What is the measurement? Companies need only ask one questionthe Ultimate Questionin a regular, systematic and timely fashion. These businesses want customers who are so pleased with how they were treated that they "willingly come back for more and bring their friends and colleagues with them."

Bad Profits

Mr. Reichheld begins our journey to the Ultimate Question by defining bad profitsthese are profits earned at the expense of customer relationships. "At times, customers must conclude that businesspeople lie awake nights thinking up new ways to hustle them." (Just think of your celluar phone service, for example.) Bad profits are destructive to long-term, profitable growth because they create detractors.

Detractors stop buying from your company, switch to your competition (if they can), and tell others about their bad experiences with your company. They get even. Remember, the old adage, "an unhappy customer tells 10 friends?" With modern telecommunication technology, this can just as easily be 10,000 "friends."

There is certainly a biblical perspective on how we are to treat our customers. One verse that comes to mind is Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." And so it is sad to read the following examples:

Retail banks now depend on "nuisance fees" for as much as 1/3 of reported earnings.

Mobile-phone companies realize that if they put customers in the calling plan that would be best for the customer, the phone company would cut their profits by 40%.

The examples could go on and on. Customers resent bad profits.

Good Profits

Good profits are earned "with customers' enthusiastic cooperation." Satisfied customers become part of the company's marketing department. They become promoters. Our goal should be to create promoters, not detractors. How do we get started? Revisiting your company's core values would be a great place to begin.

For example, I wonder if eBay's phenomenal growth can be attributed to their Community Values: eBay is a community that encourages open and honest communication among all its members. Our community is guided by these fundamental values:

	We believe everyone has something to contribute.  	We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.  	We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.  	We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.

eBay has found ways to "operationalize" these values into their daily priorities and decisions. And more than 70% of eBay customers are promoters. The company encourages its members to "point out areas in which they believe eBay isn't living up to its principles, and to identify new opportunities to better serve members." These loyal members are the key to profitable growth.

Loyalty

But how can companies know how many of their customers truly love their company and how many hate it? The author's research shows that a 5% increase in customer retention can yield anywhere from a 25% to a 100% improvement in profits. The research also showed that companies with the highest customer loyalty typically grew revenues at more than twice the rate of their competitors. And this customer loyalty stems from how each and every customer is treated by our employees. So why can't we just make our employees care more about customer relationships?

Metrics

Financial results determine how managers are rewarded. But our accounting procedures can't distinguish between good and bad profits. We measure success through the lens of financial accounting. Managers tend to focus on profits regardless of whether those profits "represent the rewards from building relationships or the spoils from abusing them." Promoters and detractors don't show up on anyone's income statement or balance sheet.

A Practical Metric for Relationship Loyalty

The Ultimate Question, if asked systematically and linked to employee rewards, can help you manage for customer loyalty and the growth it produces. So what is the Ultimate Question:

"How likely is it that you would recommend this company to a friend or colleague?"

(Note: for a business-to-business setting, a question such as, "How likely is it that you will continue to purchase products or services from us?" may be better.)

The author created a Net Promoter® Score (NPS) which is simply to take the percentage of customers who are promoters (those who answer a 9 or 10 on a 0-to-10 scale) and subtract the percentage who are detractors (those who answer a 0-6 on a 0-10 scale).

What do you think your company's NPS is today?

Keith Starcher is President of DayStar Consulting, Inc., a firm serving small business owners by providing insights and ideas regarding marketing strategy and strategic planning. Dr. Starcher has 30+ years of experience in both Fortune 500 and small, family-owned companies. His primary objective in counseling small-business owners is to help them create a blend of resources and capabilities that lead to competitive advantage in the marketplace and bring glory to God while doing so.

Keith also is an associate professor in the business department at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania where he studies and lectures in marketing strategy and strategic planning at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Keith began his career working with Westinghouse after graduating with a degree in metallurgy from Penn State. He continued his graduate studies at the University of South Florida obtaining both an M.B.A. and a Ph.D.

Dr. Starcher spent several years with General Electric and, prior to joining the full-time teaching staff at Geneva College, he was President of Zion Industries

The Basics Of A Marketing Plan

2009-01-15T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jo Ann Joy

Market Summary
Describe your marketpast, present, and future. Review changes in your market share and the market share of your competition. Provide biographies for your senior management and key employees, and explain their responsibilities. Discuss the size of the market and your main competitors. Discuss your advertising expenses and how you set the price for your product or services.

Product Definition
Describe in detail the product or service that you are marketing. State what need the product or service fills for your customers.

Competition
Describe the competitive landscape. Who are the major players, how long have they been in business, how successful are they? Provide an overview of your competitors' products and their marketing strategies. Discuss their strengths and weaknesses and compare them to your strengths and weaknesses.

Positioning
Describe how your product or service is positioned for distribution and sales. Discuss your distribution channels. Clearly state how your product or service fits into the existing market and how it measures up to your competitors, both presently and in the future. Clearly state what benefit the consumer will receive from the purchase of your product or service.

Communication Strategies
Describe how you will notify consumers that your product or service exists and is available for sale. Discuss your target market, and explain the demographic research that helped you select your target market. Talk about what media you will use for marketing, and discuss internet marketing.

Packaging & Fulfillment
Describe in detail how your product or service is packaged and how you have made it attractive to consumers. Discuss the form of packaging and the resulting appearance. Explain how you determined what price to charge. Discuss how you will respond to customer orders in a timely manner. Include a discussion about additional items that you may want to provide to customers, but will not enclose with the main product or service.

Cost of Goods Sold
Provide the calculation of the cost of goods sold.

Launch Strategies
Explain how your product or service will be introduced to the market. How will you announce that your product or service is available and ready to be sold to customers? If possible, do a press release about your new product or service and summarize what your press release will say. Provide detailed information about how you will advertise and the amount of your promotional budget. Attach detailed budget information.

Public Relations
What strategy will you have for public relations and how will it be executed? Provide an overview of your public relations strategy. If you have a backup plan for public relations, describe it in detail. Explain how you intend to promote your product or services with speaking engagements, publications, or other methods.

Advertising
Describe you advertising plan, how you will execute it, and the timing for execution. Explain which media outlets you will use and the timing for the ones you use. Will you use print advertising, web advertising, or some other form of advertising? Provide an overview of the cost of each type of media outlet you will use.

Other Promotion
If you plan other promotional strategies, provide an overview. Describe any other promotional strategies, the timing, the costs, and your budget. Explain what goals you intend to accomplish with the other promotional strategies and discuss what results you expect. For example, will you do direct marketing or third-party marketing? Will you develop co-marketing arrangements and strategic alliances with other companies?

Pricing
Summarize your specific pricing and pricing strategies. Compare them to your competitors and to similar products or services. Discuss whether you anticipate future price increases and summarize your policy regarding key pricing issues.

Distribution
Describe your distribution strategy to position your product or services in the market. Describe your channels of distribution and how reliable they are. Discuss how distribution will be organized and whether there are any logistics problems. Discuss in detail every distribution channel and what percentage of distribution will be contributed by each channel. This is a good place for a pie chart. If you expect to make international distributions, discuss those channels and the international distribution strategies. Explain any issues or complications that are specific to international distribution. Explain your international pricing strategy and discuss any requirements for local variations outside the U.S.

Success Metrics
Provide your first year goals and your five year goals. Explain what measures you will use to determine success or failure. If there are any critical requirements for success, describe them in detail and explain how you will deal with them. If there are timing issues that are critical for success, describe them in detail and explain how you will deal with them.Five year goals

Jo Ann Joy, CEO
www.IndigoBusinessSolutions.net, Phone (602) 663-7007
The future of your business starts here.

For more information about these and other important business topics and for legal consultation, please visit our website at http://IndigoBusinessSolutions.net Copyright 2006. Indigo Business Solutions is a registered trade name.

Jo Ann Joy is the CEO and owner of Indigo Business Solutions. She has a law degree and an MBA, and an undergraduate degree in Economics. Her background includes commercial and real estate law, accounting, financial planning, mortgages, marketing, product development, budgeting, sales and banking. She ran a successful business for 10 years, and she has written and given presentations on various business subjects.

How To Critique Your Own Yellow Page Ad

2009-01-14T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Dr. Lynella Grant

Forget what you know about your business Your goal is to see your Yellow Page display advertisement the way a directory user sees it. You can't act like you know anything about your enterprise that isn't there, on the page. Look at your ad without pride or being identified with your operation. If you pretend it's someone else's, you can spot the flaws you'd otherwise overlook. Mentally put the competition's name on your ad. Does what you say apply equally well to them? If it does, you haven't effectively set yourself apart.

When all the ads seem alike buyers think they can get the same thing from any of them (and are more likely to select by price). The goal isn't just to look different, but to actually be different in ways customers notice and care about. Does the ad provide the facts readers and callers need? Directory users have already decided to buy something. So they're looking in the Yellow Pages to find who provides it. This is the educational phase of the buying process. As soon as a person finds enough information to take the next step, they close the directory and move on.

Customers want information. They're looking for some reason to prefer some business over the rest. Well-thought-through ads make their job much easier. So give readers the precise information they're looking for. It's hard to do that unless you understand your customers' mindset and priorities. It helps to be absolutely clear about how you're different from other businesses in the heading. Look at the ad as a whole Now squint your eyes so you can't make out the words. This lets you get the overall impression.

Most ads just get scanned, so the words themselves are only read if there's a double-take that captures the reader's attention. Is the whole image pleasant to look at? Does it reveal an attractive, unique personality of the business? Is there a business-like, competent tone? Do all the parts, from the fonts and images, to messages, all mesh and express the same distinctive flavor? Are there distractions from the image or message? Does every element carry its weight and support the whole mood? Fat borders and cutesy graphics use valuable space, without much pay-off. If there's color, is it used effectively? Does it contribute or distract? Notice the business name. Does it tell you what the enterprise actually does (aside from the category it's in)? Generic names like R&J Enterprises don't cut it. If the name isn't informative, you might need a slogan or tagline - but do make it unique to you. Is the information arranged to be easy to read?

Every ad is a compromise between saying enough and arranging it to clearly communicate an attractive impression. Does the most important information stand out? Is it easy to find (without being too packed in)? What catches the eye first? Second? Third? How complete is the information? Does it provide what callers are most likely to ask about? Customers are concerned about convenience. Does the ad include crucial location, hours, extra services, parking, payment options, after-hours contact, etc.? Is there a way for them to get extra information (like a booklet or from a Web site)? Give bonus points for that. Look word for word. Is every one essential? Is anything important left out? Is it organized with bullets or clusters so related information hangs together?

Next, consider the ads around it A Yellow Page ad never appears in isolation. And what goes on with the nearby ads influences the way people respond to yours - more than the specifics of your ad. What else is on the page, and the pages before and after yours? Be honest now, do they do a better job of grabbing the eye? Is the whole page a blur - without a clear attention grabber? And if there is one, what makes it stand out better than yours? How can you improve on it? Assessing your ad is the first step to making a better one.

The real value of critiquing your Yellow Page ad is to sharpen your own eye to pick up the crucial differences among competing ads. Practice in other categories where you don't have a stake. Soon you can tell in a glance which ads have more appeal - and why. Find free expert assistance in developing a first-rate Yellow Page ad at http://www.yellowpagesage.com. or arrange for a professional critique of your ad, so you don't miss a trick. Either way, you'll find ample ways to improve your ad that will improve its performance. And you will be ready when the next directory comes around. ©2004, Lynella Grant

--Dr. Lynella Grant, an expert in visual communication. How printed materials send signals that strengthen or undo the words. Author, The Business Card Book & Yellow Page Smarts http://www.yellowpagesage.com Off the Page Press (719) 395-9450

How To Use Database Marketing To Skyrocket Your Online Profits

2009-01-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rojo Sunsen

Database Marketing is the gathering and storing of specific information about your prospects or customers. This information is usually stored in a database program on your computer. You would then use the information to market and advertise to them. It can save you time and money because you can target your promotional efforts to your best prospects or customers.

The Types Of Information To Collect

The information will vary depending on the product or service you're selling. If you're selling a product that costs $2 you wouldn't collect information about their yearly income. If you're selling web space you wouldn't collect information about what type of books they read. The basic information you need would be all their contact information, purchase history, and birthday. You will need to decide what other information would benefit your business.

How To Collect This Information Online

It's pretty easy to collect this information online but the hard part is getting people to give it you. The best way to collect this information is to give them something FREE in return. Ask them to fill out an e-mail survey before subscribing to your free e-zine. Tell everyone who visits your web site they will get a free e-book when they fill out your online questionnaire form. Ask them this information before they sign up for a free contest at your web site. Sometimes you have to give a little something to get a little information online.

Beneficial Uses For Your Database Find out your customers purchasing habits. Use the information to improve the design of your web site. Use it to write all your advertising material more persuasively.

Find out the things they like or dislike about your business. Use the information to target your best prospects.

Find out how much money your prospects or customers make. Use it to improve your customer service.

Find out what new products or services they need or want. Use it to test ideas before launching a total sales campaign.

Find out how to your improve your existing products or services. Use it to build your customer loyalty.

Find out which benefits or features they like most about your products or services. Use it to send electronic greeting cards on holidays or on your customer's birthdays.

The list of beneficial uses are endless. Do you see the importance of collecting this information? The Internet makes the process of collecting this information quicker and cheaper than offline methods. Take advantage of database marketing and watch your online profits skyrocket.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

Sports Marketing Find Out Why More And More Companies Are Choosing It

2009-01-12T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Riccardo Tafà

Anybody who works in marketing knows well that one of the first and most important thing to do is target definition.

Target definition requires a systematic approach: from the analysis of the needs of the market to the analysis of the existence of an economic potential going through the market borders definition till the selection of the sector/sections of the market to be considered.

Companies are increasingly choosing to reach their target using innovative tools such as CRM, guerrilla marketing, one to one etc. etc.

Consumers preferences and wishes are changing on a daily basis and marketing strategies have to follow this constant transformation if they want to be effective. As a consequence companies must be flexible and ready to change quickly their marketing instrument.

Sports marketing is an effective marketing tools , it gives a company the opportunity to leverage on the passion that consumers have for sports.

To sponsor something doesn't mean simply to appear with one's logo on the shirts of a football team or on the board around the playfield. To be sponsor means to be able to transfer to the brand or to the company the sports' positive value reaching at the same time via the passion the heart of the consumer.

Sports marketing is one of the most effective way to reach a specific target because just as every product has got its target of consumers, every sport has got its target of fans, viewers and followers. So companies need to select among all the different sports the one which gets the highest number of people in target, check TV and other media coverage, understand what is the competition doing , look at the sports market and device a communication plan based on it.

This extreme simplification doesn't have to mislead you to think that planning a sponsorship programme is an easy task.

There are so many different players around a sport event , just to name a few: athletes, clubs, promoters, sponsors, agents, tv and other media , supporters and so on that in order to be sure that everything is properly taken care of one needs to manage carefully any and each aspects.

Marketing plans always start from imagination and creativity but results are achieved only through good planning and perfect implementation, because of this a sport marketing programme requires

· A Specific research to evaluate the congruency between product and sport

· A careful exam of the chosen sport's market to reach an agreement with the most trustworthy partner

· A good communication campaign

· Constant and targeted PR

· Reliable People on field

In few words one needs a steady organization with a lot of experience and a professional approach in order to be sure to get the most out of a sponsorship.

Riccardo Tafà, RTR Sports Marketing Agency. Professional Consultant Expert on Sports Sponsorship and Strategic Marketing Management. 10 years of experience as an Advertising Company specialized in sports such as Formula 1 and MotoGP. Find out wich Companies are choosing to do business with RTR Sports Marketing Agency at http://www.rtrsports.com

Business Cards Does Your Business Information Stick

2009-01-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Annetjie Welgemoed

Everybody that has ever been to a meeting, can recall the all familiar "passing" of the business cards.

This powerfull marketing tool is often used matter of factly, and we have to wonder how often does the recipient of your card hold on to it, and use your business information positively?

In a world where first impressions count and business is becoming more competitive, it would be foolish to go with the crowd.

You have to act different to make a impact so that you will be remembered when the rest are forgotten. Often times, traditional business cards reflects your name, position in the company and contact details...not very inspiring.

Full colour business cards might be a better option, but once again,you would have needed to make some kind of impression, for the recipient of your card to give it a second glance.

In my opinion then, it's not your actual business information that counts, but how you present it.

I recently, in a situation typical to the one described above, held my photo business card that is printed on vinyl, back until the meeting drew to an end. I kindly requested my prospects to pass their diaries on to me...they did so, but looked a bit dazed. I sticked my information in their diaries and passed it back with a remark that I accept that sometimes things get lost, but NOT my business cards.

Surprised smiles all around, I knew I made a definite impression and they might just follow up on my information.

Next time you need business cards printed, think carefully, not only on content, but how you plan to present this vital information.

The Importance Of An Online Presence

2009-01-10T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Anna Spargo-Ryan

While it is not reasonable to say that the Internet has caused your everyday storefront to become redundant, there is definitely a trend towards browsing for services online. Consider this if you need to find the location of a good or service, how often do you turn to sites like White and Yellow Pages? What was that you said; you're using your paper copies as book ends? Me too.

Tapping into the vast population of Internet users is vital to providing a well-rounded service. When surveyed, the majority of women said that they would be more inclined to use a store that had an online presence, regardless of whether they were planning to shop online or offline. What does this tell you? People invest a lot of their perception in technological advancement!

According to Stanford University research, in the past ten years Internet usage has soared from essentially 0 per cent to almost 60 per cent in the United States. These 90 million or so people spend an average of 3 hours per day browsing the web and using email. There is incredible scope to have this time used to encourage people to learn more about your particular organisation.

In not having your details on the Internet, you effectively miss out on three hours of every day when you could be reaching out to 90 million users. And worse than that, there is an entire generation that could and have been alienated by not providing a more technologically contemporary means of communication. Consider that many of the younger 'Net users have actually grown up using email and instant messaging programs to speak to each other, and many have a tendency to shy away from the more traditional methods.

"I definitely notice if a store is not online," Paula Harris, a mother of one, told me. "I like to shop online. I don't have to deal with people everywhere, salespeople who won't give up the hard sell and it all comes to my place without me doing anything what could be better than that?" And it's a fair consensus of the feelings of many women. The vast majority remarked that they see a company as being "less professional" if they're without a web presence.

The future of Internet transactions is a fairly obvious one. 21st century people want convenience and ways to save time, and this will make the Internet more and more appealing to the busy lifestyles we tend to lead. Beyond the portals that already exist information, banking and shopping, for the most part exists a world where nigh everything can be done with the click of a mouse and the touch of a button.

"I would love to be able to book doctor's appointments online, for example," said Genevieve Liston, soon-to-be mother of three small children. "The day I can make my appointments online will be a very happy day indeed. I just don't seem to have enough time in my day to get around to doing everything.

"I'm less likely to end up buying something or ordering something if I actually have to go out and get it. Between looking after my sons, keeping the house in order, working part-time and having a few minutes by myself, I just don't feel like doing those mundane tasks like going shopping for groceries. Instead of going and doing it, I'll look for somewhere I can do it or find it online. It keeps me sane!"

Men do shop online, but it is women who, as in the "real world", are spending up big. From beauty products to children's clothing, birthday presents and holidays, there is a market for almost anything you can think of. And with the possibility for global presence instead of "the shop people pass on their way to the bank", the scope seems to be endless.

The beauty of the Internet is that an organisation need not have a fully-fledged website in order to generate online exposure. There are an infinite number of portals for online success, from industry specific search engines to online advertising and "community" type websites. So while it may have been expensive and time-consuming to build an online participation for one's self in the past, this is no longer the case. And anyone who wants to be seen as being a professional organisation should be taking steps towards an Internet-based personality.

Anna Spargo-Ryan is a creative, slightly insane writer and designer from Australia. She runs a brand consultation firm specialising in brand consultation, identity design, web development and copywriting. Please see http://www.annaclements.com.au/ for more information.

Stop Copying Your Competitors Marketing And Start Considering Your Customer

2009-01-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you ever noticed that many businesses in the same sub sector or industry all have basically the same types of marketing? And as a customer does it ever turn you off? Do you ever feel like they are all just trying to get your money and trick you into buying from them when they are really all the same? Of course you probably chose one company over another and had a good reason why however, do you ever stop and wonder why they all have the exact same marketing?

As a business person yourself to you ever wonder why any company would ever do this? Some people say they do it because it works and yet why would you want to subscribe to an Industries Association Norm and run red line on the same track, using the same car, under the same rules as everyone else? If it works that makes sense, but if you are only doing as well assured competitors and that is not good enough.

It is time to stop copying your competitors marketing strategies and start considering what the customer wants and what you can do for them. When your marketing material keeps comparing yourself against other competitors and they are trying to compare themselves against you one has to wonder if you are in it for the customer or simply the competition. You need to run your own race and you need to win that race.

Just because most everyone else in the industry is doing the same thing does not mean it is the best way or that it works the best. In fact, there may be several other ways to market to your target customer without copying anyone. And by finding the new strategy you will have differentiated yourself from your competitors and you have a potential to hyperspace them. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Researched Mortgage Marketing Techniques Do Leads Still Work

2009-01-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jayson Brock

I have seen many post on websites, broker chat rooms, outpost, and comment sections about mortgage leads being bad and down right fraudulent. Well I have taken this question to the next level, "Are mortgage leads still worth buying?"The answer is of course. I ran an experiment in late July that tested major mortgage lead websites and this is what I generally found.

Mortgage leads are a much more competitive marketing tool compared to several years ago.

Online shoppers definitely do submit their application to more than one site when shopping online - this is the biggest issue noted through out our research.

Return policies are the biggest key to making this investment profitable.

Time spent on calling mortgage leads can be enormous if you let it.

The ROI on mortgage lead purchases is still high if you manage your purchases, people, and profits correctly.

The biggest issue with calling mortgage leads is that we as mortgage brokers and loan officers are spoiled or think that we are calling deals - not leads!

Leads have to be worked, worked, and worked some more. We bought 10 mortgage leads each from 5 top sources and the results were pretty good. We found that 3-4 were completely bad and the rest had to be called over 4 times just to make initial contact. In the end we had to work the leads for about 3 days and we received 3 applications and one deal went to the table. We found this in 3 of the companies we reviewed.

The outlook we have on the scenario is this - 10 leads for an average of $150.00 and we got 3 potential deals -2 deals we could not get because of the borrowers situation - which is not the lead companies fault - and the other one we had to work for over a week to get a deal struck and bring in 2245.00 in total fees to our net branch.

What a massive ROI - don't you think?

Another scenario we had was a reorder with a company that we did not strike a deal with, but this time we bought $500.00 in leads and the return was the same. Did we complain, NO, we profited over $1500.00 for a $650.00 investment - that is an easy choice in my office. After calling these leads we called and interviewed a few of the mortgage lead companies and asked them how they view their product and view the brokers that buy leads from them.

First we spoke with Dave Henry (http://www.leadorder.com) and he spoke with us about the cost of generating quality mortgage leads. Dave stated "Mortgage leads can cost between 8 dollars to 14 dollars just to generate, as long as you are using legal and ethical methods to generate mortgage leads. We do not participate in SPAM or incentive backed leads and that drives cost up and drives quantity down."

"With cost going up it has forced 100% of all Lead Companies to work with other marketing companies - do not be fooled all of them do - this in turn can drive down quality because as a company you can not screen every lead. To combat this we have instituted a verification process that all our affiliate leads go through before hitting our system."

Off the record Mr. Henry stated that he sees his company as a leader in Lead delivery, a big issue with most lead buyers. Their MLT, Mobile Lead Technology, a system powered by Yahoo actually sends a text message or page to a mobile device once a lead hits your email - We say that is a cool idea!

The second person we spoke with was Jayson Williams with Leadbull.com (http://www.leadbull.com) a mortgage lead company with one of the largest member databases on the web. Jayson states "Our system is simple and since we do put so many leads on our system from our own websites and other marketing companies we want all of them to be backed with the best return policy, so we credit back most request if they fall in our parameters. We want to make the experience easy and profitable. The main issue we find is brokers that call a lead 2-3 times do not get an answer and try to report as bad - just because a borrower does not answer the phone or call you back does not make it a bad lead."

Jayson says "Our system is based on 3 principles - fair trade - good service - and affordable products. We know that most LOs or Brokers are new or have good employees below them and are responsible for keeping their leads flowing. This is why we offer such a vast array of products like aged leads that are good for telemarketing or new loans officers getting their feet wet. Our verified and exclusive leads come in at a slower rate but are packed with much success. These leads are good for the experienced employee that can close a hot deal and fast."

We asked Jayson about exclusive and verified leads and he stated the main thing to remember is that "most lead companies are trustworthy and do sell their lead once or the stated amount of times, but the Internet has made it so easy for a borrower to submit an application to 3 different sites in a matter of seconds. This causes your exclusive $75.00 lead to be worked more than you expected - but that is the name of the game. The Internet makes them easy to get but more people are getting them - don't be fooled the less that lead is sold the better but mix it up, do not put our eggs in one basket, but different types of leads and make sure the company has a good return policy."

We want to thank these companies for their insight and we will add more about or research in the coming weeks. From our findings Mortgage Leads are still a viable source for generating revenue.

Onhold Messaging Making The Most Of A Captive Audience

2009-01-07T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Stephanie Ciccarelli

According to a recent AT&T study, more than 70% of business calls are placed on hold for an average of 45 to 60 seconds each. 60% of the callers placed on hold hang up, and 30% of those that hang up never call back.

The opportunity to reach out to your customers is now!

They are a captive audience, and are eager to hear what you can do for them. While they are waiting, which for some business could be upwards of 10 minutes or longer, you need to keep their interest, keep them happy, and most importantly, retain their call to avoid losing them and their confidence before you can even meet their needs.

By making good use of your on-hold messaging, you will be able to:

* Seep your callers interested

* Increase satisfaction levels regarding their experience with your company

* Introduce new products or services for potential cross sells

* Provide additional information about your company in a friendly manner

* Instill trust and assurance that you'll be with them shortly

* Retain your callers while on-hold

* Save money by retaining the caller, eliminating the need for them to call again

To really capitalize on your on-hold messaging, alternate courtesy messages with marketing messages.

Here's a sample of a brief On-hold Script.

On-hold Messaging Script:

Courtesy Message:

Thank you for calling Extreme Sports Gear and Mountain Bikes. We're glad that you called and appreciate your business. In respect of your time, a customer service representative will take your call shortly so that you can get back to the great outdoors.

Music in between messages for 30 seconds or so appropriate to your listening audience.

Marketing Message:

Are you at our website right now? If so, click on the "Special Offer" advertisement on our home page to take advantage of our Online Summer Sale! Anything listed on our website is 25% off if purchased online. Get in the groove of Summer early and save!

Depending on the average time that your customers are on-hold, your on-hold script length will vary.

For an average system where customers are on-hold for 1-3 minutes, it's wise to have at least 2 courtesy messages and 2 marketing messages, each message timing out to precisely 30 seconds (:30).

Music should play in between the messages for 30 seconds (:30) This will result in 2 minutes of voice-over and 2 minutes of uninterrupted music play, giving you total of 4 minutes of on-hold messaging.

For systems supporting callers on-hold longer than 4-5 minutes at a time, make sure that your material is kept fresh for your audience, with at least 4 different courtesy messages and 4 different marketing messages.

To accompany the voice-over, music is often used as a secondary track in a voice-over recording. Music can vary throughout or remain true to a theme.

Music should reflect your business and your customer base. If you're servicing an extreme sports crowd, the music might reflect that culture and encompass a touch of rock, soft punk, or alternative music genres.

Capture this opportunity by sharing your message while your customers wait on-hold. With a powerful on-hold recording and a professional voice talent to deliver your message, you'll be well on your way to converting callers into buyers.

About Voices.com

Voices.com is the industry leading service that connects clients with professional voice over talents and voice actors. Radio and television stations, advertising agencies, marketing executives, casting directors and voice talent agencies rely on Voices.com to easily search for and hire language service providers such as translators, narrators and professional voice over talents. Clients that have worked with Voices.com include NBC, ESPN, PBS, The History Channel, Reader's Digest, Comcast, Nortel Networks, Bell Canada, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, ING, Western Union, Ford, GM, Jaguar, Firestone Tires, American Airlines, the US Army, the US Government and many more.

5 Ways To Start Generating More Wordofmouth Referrals Today

2009-01-06T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Desirina Boskovich

Word-of-mouth marketing is the perfect technique for small business owners and service providers everywhere. It's inexpensive, it's scalable, and it's uniquely powerful. However, while generating great referrals doesn't take loads of money, it does take some creativity, and a desire to push the envelope. Want to start getting more referrals right away? Here are some leads to help you brainstorm your approach.

Never give customers or clients just one business card. Give them at least two, maybe three. That way they'll have one to hold onto, and a couple to pass on to a friend. Why set built-in limits on your clients' abilities to pass on your information?

Send out special email discounts or special offers to existing customers, with a postscript encouraging them to pass the email on to a friend. By creating newsworthiness and urgency in the form of an exclusive offer, you give your existing customer a much better reason to tell their friends about you. And by giving them the message, and suggesting that they hit the forward button, you make it easy for them to do so.

Add something special to your communication and interaction with your customers or clients. This is easy to say, but hard to do. How can you truly stand out from the crowd, add a big extra to your services or products, and impress your client in a unique enough way that they're willing to talk about it? It's not enough to just do a good job. You've got to really do something different.

Be the expert. If you can offer a unique and worthwhile library of information in your store, on your website, or available as a special packet sent directly from your offices you will constantly generate word-of-mouth referrals as potential customers and clients pass on your information.

One of the best way to get referrals is to ask for them. If you sell services, make a list of your best and most loyal clients. Then write them a polite letter asking for referrals. You can even include a handful of pre-written envelopes or letters to make it easy for them to refer you. If you sell products, insert a flyer or handout into each bag or box. Remind your customers why your products or company are the best. If you've done your job, it should be an easy sell at this point! Then ask them to pass the word along to their friends. Even better, make the flyer into a tear sheet, with coupons on the bottom half.

Of course, the most important part of generating word-of-mouth referrals is simply doing a great job. Remember that unhappy customers talk a lot more than happy ones, and merely satisfied customers won't talk at all. Make sure that you deliver an experience that is truly a pleasant surprise to your customers and clients. Combine a superior product or service, with a creative and energetic word-of-mouth marketing campaign, and you're on your way to success.

Desirina Boskovich is a professional freelance copywriter who specializes in helping small businesses and ambitious entrepreneurs share their messages with the world. To find out how she can help you kick-start your own marketing efforts, visit her on the web at http://www.desirina.com/copywriting/.

Online Registration Success Make Signing Up Easy

2009-01-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Bill Flagg

Have you ever heard of K.I.S.S.? It stands for 'Keep It Simple, Stupid.' It seems obvious that you should make it easy to sign up for your event but are you really making it easy?

People Hate Hurdles and Hoops

Think about your prospective attendee. Are they a busy professional trying to squeeze in some extra training? Are they the head of human resources for a small non-profit trying to learn the latest techniques? Are they workers in the high-tech industry looking for the latest and greatest technology? In any case, they are considering registering for your event, so why not make it easy?

Give your prospective attendees as many opportunities as possible to say "yes" to your event. How many times have you come across an event you've wanted to attend only to have to sort through web pages to try to find the small "register here" text link hidden at the bottom of a page. This means lost registrants and revenue.

Do it for Them, and Yourself

Having a confusing sign up process also means more staff time used for directing people where to go. Display the sign-up link prominently on your home page, in the navigation bar, certainly on every page that discusses the event, at the bottom of emails (in the signature), and include the URL on your printed materials.

Your prospects want to register, and you want them to register, so remember to keep it simple.

I sincerely hope this article makes your conference and seminar registration even more successful!

Bill Flagg is the President of RegOnline
Putting smiles on the faces of over 9,200 event-planning professionals worldwide because it is the easiest-to-use online seminar and conference registration system available.

P.S. - If you would like to receive more tips like this via email then go to http://www.RegOnline.com/eTips

Real Estate Marketing The Importance Of Listing Language

2009-01-03T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Brandon Cornett

Mr. and Mrs. Buyer have just seen a listing photo of a house that's right up their alley. It seems to have the features they want, and it's within their price range. Now, continuing in the process, they read the details. They read what you've written to describe the house.

This is when the quality of your listing language either moves them forward, or drops them off.

The first parts of the listing are easy to write, and they're often enough to get a buyer to come out for a visit. Number of bedrooms. Square feet. The basics.

But your goal is to get as many interested buyers as possible to come out, which obviously increases the likelihood of a sale. So you have to go beyond the basics. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Do the necessary research.
When I'm hired to write about the benefits / qualities of a product or service, I almost always spend more time researching than writing. I never write a single word until I know, with certainty, what's worth writing about and what's not.

The point is, you can't write everything about a house in a listing there's no room for that. So you have to examine the property inside and out to find those things that make it truly unique. You have to dig up the unique selling points.

Put the reader in the house.
Whenever possible, try to describe the enjoyment that results from a particular feature (as opposed to describing the feature by itself).

Note the difference in the examples below.

Before:
This house has a rear deck with a lake view.

After:
Enjoy watching sunsets over Jefferson Lake from your screened-in rear deck.

Before:
The family room features a large brick fireplace.

After:
The family room's grand fireplace will keep you cozy during Colorado winters.

Don't underestimate the small stuff.
If you're creating a short, bulleted "laundry list" of features, be as specific and all-inclusive as possible. The house might have a feature that makes you yawn but makes a buyer perk up:

Extra outlets in the media room. Low-maintenance deck material. Wrought-iron gate. Picket fence. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference to people.

Use brand names.
Certain brands can add value to a house through name alone. First, you must identify these brand names and make a list of them. This comes from the research we mentioned above.

Then it's simply a matter of weaving them into your property description.

Note the difference in the example below:

Before:
Rear deck

After:
Rear deck built with low-maintenance Trex® material (with transferable lifetime warranty).

I've exaggerated the contrast between these examples for demonstration purposes. But you get the idea.

Conclusion
Buyers are looking for more than a house. They also want a home. A house is walls and ceilings. A home is where memories are made. It's up to you to bring this across with your listing language.

Brandon Cornett has worked as a writer and advertising manager within the direct mail industry. He now dedicates his time to helping agents and brokers improve their real estate marketing programs. His free newsletter is available at: http://www.ArmingYourFarming.com.

Color Part 1 Accuracy

2009-01-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Erin Ferree

Color is one of the most difficult parts of a design to show accurately to a client.

Color perception can be affected by many factors, including:

Human perception:

The way each person sees color can vary, depending on the structure of the individual's eye. This is particularly true in the range of the color blue. Colorblindness is another factor in an individual's perception of color, which can be either very slight (and almost unnoticeable to an individual) or quite severe.

Colors can also impact each other when placed side by side - either through reflection or as a visual illusion. To demonstrate this, hold a piece of bright-colored paper or object next to a white piece of paper near a sunny window. The white paper will take on some of the color, to become a pastel shade of the bright color. Home computer and printing technology:

The average computer monitor will show slightly differing colors depending on how the computer is set up, the type of monitor (for example, flat-panel LCD monitors tend to show colors as more blue), how the brightness/contrast is adjusted, and many other factors.

Inkjet and home laser printers, while great for convenience, often do not have the color range that professional printing machines do. This is most obvious in the case of bright colors, especially dark or complex colors (colors made up of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) all mixed together), and in the tones of blue, aqua, and purple. Web color vs. printed color:

The color of your logo and/or any other graphic elements on your website may be different than the colors on your printed materials - this has to do with the color palette that websites use in their graphics (see the article RGB vs. CMYK color), with the color palettes that the web browsers use (see web-safe color, below), and with your and your clients' monitor calibration.

Web-safe colors are available, meaning that the colors will look the same regardless of a viewers' monitor type - provided that their brightness and contrast settings are set to the same levels. There are millions if printable colors and only 216 web-safe colors, thus we advise treating website colors differently than printed colors, and we suggest that you choose both a web-color palette as well as a printing- color palette for your business identity. Professional printing technology:

Colors can vary between printing processes. If some of your materials are printed with a four-color digital or traditional printing process and others are printed using the Pantone color system, some of the colors may not match owing to the differences in the processes (see our article on CMYK printing vs. Pantone color printing).

Colors can also vary between presses or digital printers, depending on their setup or calibration, so if you print materials at different times or on different machines, they could appear different. In many aspects of your graphic design, such as your company logo, you want to ensure that your colors are as accurate and consistent as possible across different media, printing processes, and monitor displays. You also want to strive for as much color control as possible among the different elements of your brand that you have printed when using different printing processes. This is done by comparing your Pantone color choices to their four-color equivalents, for example, to ensure that the two are as close to matching as possible.

There are also a few ways that we can minimize or overcome these inaccuracies and misrepresentations:

Using colors available through the Pantone Matching System (PMS colors). Printers mix these colors to the exact specifications shown in the Pantone books, so you know exactly what the colors will look like on the finished product. However, this printing method only allows for printing in one, two, or three colors and can be more expensive than some of the four-color, digital printing methods available today. However, many digital press shops offer only onw or a few types of smooth, white paper. Press printing with Pantone colors allows you to choose from a wider range of textures and colors of paper, which then adds a new color element to your materials that includes the color of the paper itself.

Knowing how your corporate colors will translate. The Pantone system also offers a set of books that show how the Pantone colors will translate to CMYK - an important factor to consider if you will be printing some of your materials in two or three colors and other materials in four-color (full color). With these books, you can easily see how your chosen Pantone color will translate to CMYK, so that you can print your materials in the most economical way.

Home or commercial laser printers will often show an approximation of the final color. When color matching is somewhat important, but not essential to the success of the project, we suggest proofing your colors on a good-quality color laser printer. The printouts from these printers will simulate four-color (CMYK) press results, though they won't match exactly, due to the differences in their calibration versus that of professional printers.

For four-color (CMYK) printing where the accuracy of color is essential, many printers can produce "match proofs" - proofs that show very accurate color. These proofs will cost about $100 for a letter-sized page. This process will also will extend the production timeline of your printing job by several days for production and approval, but the proofs will give you an accurate representation of the color of your final job. To learn more about the various color systems, please continue to read the other articles in this series.

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Your Elevator Speech Have You Updated Yours Recently

2009-01-01T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jean Hanson

Do you have an elevator speech? Does it get people's attention? Do they ask you lots of questions when you tell them what you do?

Every great elevator speech needs to answer these key questions:

1. Who am I? (introduce yourself)

2. What business am I in?

3. What group of people do I service? (be specific do you have a niche?)

4. What is my USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What makes me different from the competition?

5. What benefits do my customers derive from my services?

Instead of saying this:

Hi - I'm Jean Hanson and I'm a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is an off-site administrative assistant . . . (yawn)

Say this:

Hi - I'm Jean Hanson and I'm a virtual assistant. What I do is give my clients more time so that they can grow their business and make more money!

Here are some ways you can enhance your introduction:

-= A good elevator speech needs to be practiced so it rolls off your tongue and sounds perfectly natural. You may feel funny about doing this at first, but try practicing in front of a mirror. Also practice your speech in the car on the way to the event.

-= Project and speak clearly, but don't drag. Talk with confidence, pride and enthusiasm. Display your passion for what you do.

-= Use clean and simple language your audience can understand. Don't use a lot of technical jargon.

-= Have at least a couple versions of your speech. Many people belong to weekly networking groups, so having several different ways of talking about what you do keeps it interesting, so they don't hear the same thing every week.

-= Personalize it. Use personal stories your audience can relate to.

-= Use descriptive words; paint a picture, using hearing and sight.

-= Tell them how you solve your customers' problems. Give an example of how you recently solved a problem for one of your clients.

-= Talk about Benefits, not Features.

-= Answer their unspoken question Why should I do business with you?

-= Eliminate the risk of doing business with you (maybe you could offer 2 free hours of service, or 100% money back guarantee).

-= And finally, answer this question for yourself: What exactly is the role of my business in the life of my customer?

Jean Hanson is a Certified Professional Virtual Assistant. Discover how partnering with a virtual assistant will give you more time to do the things you love to do! Visit her at http://www.vaofficesolution.com. Jean is also the author of the eBook, Virtualize Your Business - http://www.virtualizeyourbiz.com

Target Marketing The Bell Curve

2008-12-31T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rich Harshaw

Finally, Something You Learned In Math Class Makes Sense In Real Life.

Okay, here's the day you've been waiting for since 9th grade: today's the day you're going to find out what some of that funky stuff you learned in math class has to do with anything. Believe it or not, there is a mathematical model - the bell curve - that explains how you should target your market. But first, we need to define some terms and dispel some traditional sales and marketing myths.

Target marketing means a seller identifies market segments, selects one or more of them, and then develops products and marketing messages tailored to each. It's a great concept, but most businesses don't practice it - despite what they say. The reason is simple: most products and services are not developed with the wants and needs of the customer in mind. Instead of finding out what a market wants, most businesses first develop a product and then try to figure out how to sell it.

This means that their marketing and sales efforts are usually feature oriented. They say something like "Look at all the great widgets and whatzits on our doohickie." I call this marketing technique "Trying To Be All Things To All People." In other words, "Hey world, here's our crap...come buy it whether you need it or not."

Now let's look at this approach in sales situations. Traditional sales books and trainers preach the importance of developing the skill of asking questions. When you get in front of a prospect, ask him detailed questions about his wants and needs then try to slam him with a pitch that matches his needs list. There's just one small problem with this approach: if you haven't already determined what those needs are, then the prospect won't even know that you can help him and you'll never get the appointment in the first place.

You've heard the phrase "Sell the Appointment." You have to sell the appointment when you use traditional sales techniques because nobody ever wants to see you...because they don't perceive that you have any solutions to any problems they have. You are a nuisance. You are the person that gives salespeople a bad name.

Fortunately, I'm not talking about you specifically. I'm only talking about the other 95% that still use those antiquated methods. The better way is to sell to the bell curve instead of individuals. (Here's the part you've been waiting for...9th grade math relived.) Simply stated, the bell curve is a statistical model that shows that 80% of a given sample of prospects will have the same wants and needs as everyone else in the sample.

For example, if your company services air conditioners, you might find that 80% of the market values both quick service and guaranteed appointment times over price and warranty of service. Now, there are some people who just want the lowest price. And there are others who insist that the warranty be excellent. But 80% of the people just want somebody there to fix their #!&%# air conditioner right now!

How do you find out what's most important to your prospects? Do this: informally poll your staff to find out what they think is most important. Then informally poll about 10 customers to find out what they think is most important. When you have a list - say the top 8 most important things - put it on a piece of paper and poll between 40 and 60 current customers and 40 to 60 prospective customers. Ask them to rank the importance of the items, 1 thru 8.

Tabulate the results by adding up the scores. You will find that the responses will invariably form a bell curve. One or two out of the eight will be far and away the most important; one or two will be of almost no importance. The rest will be somewhere in the middle. Congratulations! You just made a bell curve and validated everything your 9th grade math teacher ever taught you.

Half of you will be surprised at the results. Half of you will get the exact results you expected. The problem is you won't know which half you're in until you conduct the survey. Now comes the important part: what to do once you have the results. We call it Developing Your Distinguishing Advantage: you need to publish the results...in other words, let people know that you know what they want. Do this in your ads, letters, and various sales efforts. Once the market you have targeted sees that you have the solutions to their problems, they will flock to you as the obvious choice to do business with.

Rich Harshaw is the founder of the Monopolize Your Marketplace system and CEO of Y2Marketing Business Marketing Strategies

Dont Neglect Those Seminar Rituals

2008-12-30T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Chris Herrmann

Once everything is in place for your seminar, workshop, conference or other event and all of the finishing touches have been applied to the main venue room, make a point of testing the delegate experience. Run a presentation or a video on the screen and try out seats in all corners of the room to check for screen and text visibility. Test the sound level at the furthest point from the stage and remember to compensate for the deadening factor of the audience. You will also want to find areas that you feel may be problematic once the audience has arrived so that you can quickly make adjustments.

As you sit in various seats, pay attention to the overall feel of being there.

Is it pleasant?

Are there draughts from doors or air-conditioning units?

Can you smell cooking from the kitchens?

Does the room look clean and tidy from this angle?

Are there distractions like activity outside a window that the presenters cannot see but the audience can?

Does the view from the seat reflect the value of the ticket?

Remember that, for longer events, this seat may be home-for-a-day to your delegate and they will appreciate small touches like easily reachable water bottles and bowls of mints. The arrival ritual

As on any other public occasion, people have certain expectations when they arrive at an event. It is a kind of ritual that must be undertaken to gain entry to the magic kingdom of information.

If a delegate has been invited or has been pre-registered, they should be able to arrive twenty minutes or more before the start time and find a table outside the event rooms covered in name badges neatly arranged in alphabetical order. This table will be managed by a smiling administrator ready to acknowledge them quickly, to welcome them and to provide them with their name badge and any supplementary information they will need. The additional information is usually contained in a professionally prepared folder.

The administrator will direct them from the reception table to a coffee area and will also provide them with information about the location of toilets, telephones and smoking areas.

Many will have come alone and may not be acquainted with other delegates. To ease any awkwardness, some quiet background music will disguise uncomfortable silences. The event team, especially the presenters are expected to mix with the guests and, as well as making small-talk and introducing one delegate to another, they should be continuing their information gathering task to ensure that the event resonates with relevance.

At the advertised start time a robust voice should invite the assembled delegates to enter the inner sanctum of the main event room. Upon which note there will be a surge of activity as delegates find their seats. This approach is obviously tried and tested and it's what people expect but if you want to experiment with different techniques, this is your opportunity to stamp originality on your event.

Published by MyBookingManager.com

The convenient, professional, time saving & cost effective way to accept registrations, bookings & payments for your next seminar, workshop, trade display or membership event.

Lawyer Marketing How You Create Breakthrough Success

2008-12-29T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Henry Harlow

Lawyer marketing and the "manager's mantra" go together. Never heard the manager's mantra? The "manager's mantra" is an important variable in successful legal marketing. The manager's mantra is "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." Well, that is nice Henry and how will that help me?

Most attorneys have some sort of referral network (if only a small one) however; attorneys really don't know how to manage their lawyer marketing so that their referral network expands. The first step in this expansion is to know where you are and then you can figure out how to get to where you want to go. Yes, it is important to understand the geographics, demographics and psycho-graphics of your referral sources/clients for sure and you need a lawyer marketing management system. By understanding more about how to manage your legal marketing referral sources, you can grow this referral network and boost your attorney marketing efforts with less work on your part.

What Your Expanded Lawyer Marketing Referral Base Delivers To You

What does having this lawyer marketing management system in place mean for you? If you are working your legal marketing referral sources well, you are building a base that will make a significant impact on your bottom line, as I am sure you know. You will be sent more business and be able to retain more quality business that will in turn send you more quality business. You will have an easier time saying no to mediocre or poor cases and holding out for top dollar cases. You can even pass on work that simply does not appeal to you personally if you know that your lawyer marketing referral base will consistently deliver.

Professional marketers know the process of wooing a referral base involves creating "know, like, trust, relationship, credibility, and top of mind awareness (TOMA)" with your legal marketing referral sources. I think you see the benefits clearly so lets move on to giving you the management tool to make it a reality.

Measuring a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base

Lawyer marketing is not always and exact science and that does not keep us from keeping statistics. The "game" of legal marketing will be improved just like keeping statistics in baseball, football or hockey improves performance. The tool we will use consists of four basic lists to measure your legal marketing referral base as it exists currently and see where your attorney marketing time needs to be focused thus putting your resources into those referral sources with the potential for the most return.

The first list is called the "Top 20" List. If you only have a few lawyer marketing referral sources, obviously, it may only be the Top 10 or even the Top 2 List. But the first objective after listing your top lawyer marketing referral sources is to increase the list to 20 if it is not there already so that is why we call it the Top 20 list. In order to qualify for the Top 20 List, a referral source must have sent you X amount of business in the past year and has hit that level consistently over the last three years. Depending on your practice area, X may be one, two, or three very profitable cases. For example, if you are a PI lawyer you might consider X to equal the referral of at least one case that netted the practice over $25,000 in contingency fees (or set the benchmark higher or lower as you see fit). If you practice residential real estate then X might equal someone who sent you a minimum of 3 closings per month (again you can set this benchmark higher or lower depending on your current situation). Bottom line here is whether for PI, estate planning, family law, or real estate legal marketing, you will know what level is appropriate for your Top 20 level of lawyer marketing attention.

The second list is the "Farm Team" List. Here we are using a baseball metaphor of your Top 20 being the "major leagues" and this second list being the farm team in training for moving up to the big leagues of the Top 20. Your Farm Team List consists of those legal marketing referral sources who are between having at least tried to send you someone up to whatever you have set the threshold of being a Top 20 list member. This trying to send you someone can be as casual as a friend asking if his or her neighbour called you after being given your card by your friend. We all know that lawyer marketing is sometimes this accidental.

The third list is the "Who You Know" List and is similar to any standard networking list. It includes everyone you know, even everyone your spouse knows, as well as those people known by your family and your staff. Take this one out as far as you like. The bigger it gets the better for lawyer marketing.

Finally, there is the lawyer marketing "Categories List". This is a list of professions and occupations in general that would have the capacity to refer business to you. There are no names on this list, only general occupations/professions. For example, a PI lawyer might list nurses, physical therapists, medical technicians, chiropractors, neurologist, plastic surgeons, orthopaedists etc. while a family lawyer might list psychologists, social workers, marriage counselors, CPAs, hairdressers, real estate lawyers, etc.

Working a Lawyer Marketing Referral Base

Now you have measured your lawyer marketing referral network what do you do with that list? Just to be sure I need to say every lawyer has as their best referral source category other lawyers so be sure to list all other practice areas that would have a particular ability to refer to your practice area on your categories list. Also every lawyer marketing system needs to list "current clients" as a category and put those clients on the Top 20 and Farm Team list as they move out of the Who You Know List since clients should be on the Who You Know List. Also some of your clients are in the categories you have listed and they need particular attention first in legal marketing.

The way you use the list in lawyer marketing is to pay particular attention first to building and maintaining relationships with your Top 20 and Farm Team List members. As you deepen and develop those relationships they will send you more clients than ever before since you are building "know, like, trust, relationship, credibility, and top of mind awareness (TOMA)" with these people. Ask the Top 20 and Farm Team members to introduce you to other people they know in the categories that have the ability to refer to you and they will. See if any of the Who You Know List members are in the categories you are seeking and cultivate those members. See if the Who You Know List members can introduce you to people on your categories list. You get the idea here. Over time you will fill your Top 20 and Farm Team lists thus only have time to devote to maintaining and building from them I am sure. Not sure how to do this entire legal marketing building from a communications perspective? Well, that is the subject of future articles, worth a visit to my website for more information or contact me and we can work on that together. You can master lawyer marketing I am certain.

Henry Harlow has individually coached well over 500 attorneys on how to increase their revenues while they reduce their work hours. Henry has over 40 years of marketing experience, business and psychology degrees as well as being a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. Henry has "been there and done that" having built a multi-site professional service firm and successfully sold that firm. Henry's website is a content rich site where you can get now free and objective information on mastering all aspects of law firm marketing. To learn more please visit http://www.law-firm-marketing-coach.com

Creating Your Own Lead Capture Pages

2008-12-28T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Brian Beshore

Having a downline can be golden. A downline is a group of folks who have either signed-up or have already agreed to at least look at what you send them.

There are currently many ways to get a downline on the internet, and more coming all the time. For example, promoting certain programs, such as surf exchanges, may allow you to build a downline. This can be a pretty good way, but you must check into the particulars of the specific program you are using, because some will not allow you access to your downlines's E-mail addresses. In other words, you will only be allowed to E-mail your downline from within the program, and they might also restrict whatever advertising you are allowed to do. It all depends on the program. Some are different.

There are quite a few downline clubs popping up all over the net. Again, you would be well advised to check-out the particulars very well, as often you must do a lot of recruiting before you are allowed to advertise to your downline, and sometimes what is presented as free turns out to be an incentive to up-grade, before you are really allowed to use the service that you have worked very hard at building up!

But why not collect your own leads?

One way to do this is to offer a free gift if, a person sends their E-mail address to your autoresponder to get more information about your product or business opportunity. There are plenty of places to get software or E-books to give away. You must make certain that you are free and clear to give whatever it is away, of course. The software or E-book will usually tell you right up front if you have the gotten the rights to give it away or resell it when you acquired it.

One of the easiest ways to create a lead capture page is to look around and find an autoresponder that gives you codes for making web forms, such as sign-up boxes that will allow visitors to sign-up for your autoresponder.

Just paste this code into a web page, offering a free giveaway, and then put your page into surf exchanges. Some exchanges don't allow pages with sign-up boxes, so the way around this is to make another page and link it to the page with your sign-up box. Then put the link for whatever you are giving away into your Email ad or newsletter.

If you run ads, just put the link to your lead capture page in them.

Brian Beshore has been involved with Internet Marketing for several years. He publishes his own Home Business Guide. http://www.surfinsafari.net

Democratizing Marketing

2008-12-27T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rosemary Hauschild

How would you like to have the same marketing power that major cash-rich corporations have enjoyed for most of the past century?

How would you like to be able to appeal to people in your market for a fraction of the cost of "big league" radio, television and even newspaper advertising?

How would you like to see "David" level good ol' "Goliath's" marketing playing field so you can play on it too?

It's called the democratizing of marketingTM, and it's time has arrived.

The Internet and its advancing technology are significantly changing the way marketers reach consumers. In most cases, the cost to use these newer tools and tactics is within range for most independent innovators and entrepreneurs. The hardest part may be choosing which method to use.

Your first step is to familiarize yourself with the possibilities. Next, you will need to become more techno savvy or find a talented computer consultant. While the consultant can cost a fair amount, consider creative ways of working with such a person: Bartering or offering a percent of your profits for a limited amount of time are just two options. You also may need to consider enlisting the help of other professionals or talented amateurs looking for opportunities. Photographers, writers and videographers are a few that come to mind. Again, before you protest the potential cost, look for low-budget options in your area. Local community colleges are full of eager, talented students who are trained in the latest technologies and looking for ways to add some experience to their otherwise limited resumes.

To get you started, here are the key techniques you need to understand:

BLOGS: Since the first blog appeared on the internet in 1999, more than 4,000,000 are now on-line. The term blog is short for web log. A log, of course, is a ship captain's "diary" or journal. Unlike the captain's log, a blog is an interactive journal open for all to read.* Currently, politicians and journalists dominate the "blogosphere", but as the use of blogs increases, marketers are embracing the advantages of reaching niche markets using this tool. Establishing a blog before you get your product to market can have several advantages for the independent innovator. You can:

establisoh a web presence at little to minimal cost;

invite comments and suggestions from readers;

develop a following of early adopters who will be the first in line to purchase your product; and

create interest while you are creating your product.

If you do decide to start a blog, be sure you have a clear offensive and defensive blog marketing strategy in place. One word of caution: protect your intellectual property by clearly copyrighting your blog. And, if you are an inventor, do not reveal your product concept or drawings until you have a provisional or full patent.

VLOGS: Add video to your blog and you've created a vlog (video blog). Vlogs offer some distinct advantages. You can upload videos of yourself speaking directly to your audience or videos which demonstrate how your product or service works. On the downside, vlogs can be more difficult to update regularly, may have a limited audience until more webcams find their way into homes, and if you're the "star" of the video, you'll need to do your hair and change from PJs to street clothes.

AUTOCASTING: This is a speech-synthesized version of a regular text blog. With the right technology, autocasts can be turned into podcasts (see next item).

PODCASTING: Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) defines podcasting as "a method of publishing sound files to the internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new audio files automatically." The term "podcast" was first used in 2004 and combines two concepts: iPods and broadcasting. Originally, this technology was most often used to sync its content to listeners' portable music players like iPods. And, since this type of audio feed has the characteristics of radio broadcasting, a new term borrowed from each to describe this venue. A key thing to know is that you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast. Your computer or any digital audio player that has the necessary software can be used. Among the advantages of podcasting, programs are "time shifted" similar to what TiVo technology does for television viewers. Your target market can choose when, where and how they hear your message. In addition, you can transmit your messages worldwide without the need for expensive equipment.

NARROWCASTING: Narrowcasting is to television what podcasting is to radio. For a very small fraction of the cost it takes to produce a traditional broadcast or cable TV program, the increasing availability of high-speed internet connections is making it possible for the "little guy" to reach niche markets with free or fee-based programming. If an infomercial is part of your marketing strategy but not your current budget, narrowcasting may be the answer. You might also consider narrowcasting if your specialty program doesn't interest the cable TV media.

To learn more about these options, log onto the net and do a Google search. Be sure to also visit on-line book sellers like Amazon (www.amazon.com) and Barnes and Nobel (www.barnesandnoble.com).

*It is possible to restrict access to a blog to only a specific group of people or to no one else other than the author.

Copyright and bio paragraph must be included when reproducing this article.

Rosemary Hauschild is an innovation and creativity business coach serving individuals developing intellectual property. Impact Coaching International offers a year-long program showing creative individuals how to protect, promote and profit from their innovative ideas in less time and with more profits. Individual coaching services are also available. To learn more about how to protect and promote your intellectual property, you are invited to subscribe to the free e-zine, Creations Of The Mind, by sending an email to subscribe@impactcoaching.biz with the following phrase in the subject line of your e-mail: subscribe creations list. To contact Rosemary directly, please email rosemary@impactcoaching.biz.

How To Win Federal Contracts By Selling To Smartpay Cardholders

2008-12-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Robert Moment

Do you sell products or services that are priced under $25,000? Selling to Federal Government credit cardholders (SMARTPAY) is a "hidden secret".

Federal contracting opportunities under $25,000 are not advertised. Contracts under $25,000 present special opportunities for small businesses. To PLAY in this federal credit card game businesses MUST have a merchant account. Federal agencies save money when they make small purchases using credit cards. Federal end-users with purchasing power generally purchase products and services from small businesses in there local market. Selling to credit cardholders is one of the quickest ways to accelerate your success to winning a federal contract.

Independent professionals and small businesses who build solid relationships , market products and services as a customized solution and "keep in touch" throughout the fiscal year can consistently win federal contracts.

Federal contracts (Micro-purchases) $2,500 or less federal buyers may purchase from any small business without comparison shopping.

Small purchases ($2,500 to $25,000)are subject to more formal contracting requirements wherein the federal buyers must obtain three informal quotes by phone, fax, email or mail.

Here are 4 principle reasons this "hidden" market is ideal for small businesses:

*Relationship driven contracts

* Prompt payment

* Potential for multiple contracts throughout the fiscal year

* Less competition not publicly advertised

The Federal credit cardholder single purchase limit varies. Here are a few examples of single purchase limits:

*$2,500 *$10,000

*$25,000 *$100,000 (note: this figure is not a typo)

How do you find Federal credit cardholders(SMARTPAY) ? Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Small businesses can make a formal written request to obtain a list of federal credit cardholders by contacting the Principal FOIA Officer at each federal agency you want to market your products and services to.

If you are willing to do some homework and be different from the competition there are countless federal opportunities worth pursuing in the "hidden" federal credit card micro and small purchase market.

Robert Moment is an innovative expert business strategist and author of ,"It Only Takes a Moment to Score" and upcoming book "Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service". Robert show entrepreneurs how to successfully build and grow profitable service-based small businesses. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and download the FREE Special Report " 17 Profitable Ways to Turn Your Ideas into Wealth."

Mission Position

2008-12-25T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Anita Paul

Ahh, the mission statement. For some companies it simply describes their purpose for existing. For others it permeates the overall culture of the company. Some see its value, while others neglect to give it even a passing thought.

Whatever your position on having a corporate mission statement, you should know that your image is tied to your mission. And companies that don't have a clearly defined image usually don't have a mission statement. All success-bound companies need one, if for no other purpose than to stay focused on your core competencies, the very reason you're in business in the first place.

Your mission statement is a one-sentence description of why your business exists. What do you do? What product or service do you provide? To whom do you provide this service?

When developing your mission statement, be sure to avoid business-babble and industry-speak. This definitive statement of your business' existence should be easy to remember and to relay to your audiences, and it should be simple enough for the average customer to understand it.

Take a tip from these top companies:

Microsoft Corporation:
To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.

Motorola, Inc.:
Motorola, Inc. is a global leader in wireless, broadband and automotive communications technologies and embedded electronics products.

Netflix:
Our appeal and success are built on providing the most expansive selection of DVDs; an easy way to choose movies; and fast, free delivery.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio:
SIRIUS is changing the way America listens to music, sports, news, and entertainment.

Not only do corporations and small businesses need a mission statement to guide their operations, but so do not-for-profit organizations. See how these familiar agencies describe their purpose:

The American Heart Association:
To reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Volunteers of America:
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, spiritually based organization providing local human service programs and opportunities for individual and community involvement.

National Urban League:
The Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream.

Notice the mention of the product or service provided and to whom it is provided. These companies and organizations know the value of a mission statement and how to communicate it. So put your mission statement to paper, communicate it often and review it regularly to ensure that it expresses the growth of your company.

Anita Paul is a freelance writer, marketing consultant and owner of The Write Image, a marketing communications company that caters to small businesses and non-profit organizations. She has over ten years experience in marketing and public relations, and is the author of "Take The Mystery Out Of Marketing" a guide to help business owners create, execute and evaluate a strategic marketing plan. She can be reached at APaul@thewriteimage.net or http://www.thewriteimage.net

Event Planning And Production

2008-12-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Eddie Tobey

When planning an event, there are many things to consider. Even if this event is as plain as any simple event could get, it still needs planning and preparation. An event falling flat on its face is something that you would really like to avoid at all costs. Of course, who would like to be part of an event that nobody is enjoying? People would rather be in some other place rather than at a boring event.

No matter how much publicity an event gets, the publicity is not a guarantee that that event will be a success. Many events have lost their spirit and glamour all because planning and preparation were not enough. Events should be planned early on, and it is best if things start rolling as soon as the decision to host that event has been done. There is nothing wrong with having too much time on your hands. In fact, it is certainly better than having to cram a couple of days before the set date. Plenty of details involved in event planning and production. After all, it is not a simple thing to do.

On the date itself, it would be a wise move to start checking that everything is in order. Confirmation of the entertainment, the caterers, and all the other things that need to be done should take place early on. There could be nothing worse than having a highly publicized event without sufficient food and the entertainment.

Big companies hire an event planner to facilitate a smooth event. That way, the employees of the company can enjoy the event with their visitors and guests. These big companies would also like to provide something to take back as a keepsake of the event, so most of these hired services craft souvenirs, mementos, and video clips or photos as part of the services that they provide.

Event Planning provides detailed information on Event Planning, Convention Event Planning Services, Corporate Event Planning, Event Planning and Production and more. Event Planning is affiliated with Corporate Event Management.

5 Tips To Creating A Powerful Master Mind

2008-12-23T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Kendall SummerHawk

You know how you'll often get things done because someone else is counting on you? Somehow, when we make a commitment to someone else, it's easy to take action and follow through. Yet when left on our own, we tend to piddle around, get distracted, or fritter away our time.

There are several hallmarks to building a healthy 6-figure business and I consider being in a master mind one of them. The right kind of master mind will challenge you to be bold and authentic. It will challenge to you step up and step out. Plus it will challenge you to achieve more than you thought you could because you know you have unquestioning support behind you.

But to really get value and benefit from a master mind, you have to know how to either create or find one that will challenge you in all the right ways.

I'm currently in two master mindsone in person and one on the telephonethat have each provoked and supported me while I have re-vamped my business from the inside out.

There is something about standing up (or speaking out) to a group of my peers and making a commitment, knowing I'll have to follow through and report back on my progress the next time we meet, that spurs me to get my butt into high gear, fast.

Here are 5 tips on how to find or create a powerful master mind that will move you and your business forward to greater rewards and a whole lot more fun:

Tip #1 Make sure you love and respect each other
Sounds mushy, but a master mind is an intimate relationship built on trust. I was in one group for a short time, and quit when I realized I didn't have "that lovin' feeling" from the group members. I just didn't feel they "got me" which meant I was reluctant to open up and really share what was going on.

Tip #2 Keep it small and cozy
I've found 4-5 people is optimum. This gives everyone a chance to get all the time and attention they need without making each master mind meeting cumbersome.

Tip #3 Meet at least once a month
I've founded four different master minds in the last few years and each one made the initial commitment to meet at least monthly. One master mind I'm in right now meets every two weeks. Another I've been in for nearly three years meets every-other month for an all-day retreat (very cool, and very productive). Continuity is key so keep those meetings coming!

Tip #4 Build connection at the start of every meeting
Remember the master mind I said I quit? One of the things that bugged me was there was not time to connect. I've found that the when you take just a minute at the start of each meeting to create a space of harmony and trust, you get a lot better results. You can read your group's mission statement, take a moment of silence, or recite a code of honour. Just make sure you connect before you move forward.

Tip #5 Give and receive loving, kick-in-the-pants support
A master mind won't work produce results for you unless you're challenged. When giving feedback, ideas, coaching, etc., keep in mind that being too nice isn't doing anyone a favor. The trick is to keep your master mind partner's interests in mind while being totally up front and honest.

In my master minds, each participant gets 100% of our attention for a set mount of time. We also choose not to meet unless everyone can be there, which really adds to the strength of the group.

If you're serious about building a strong, healthy, thriving business and want to feel supported then create or join a master mind as fast as you can. I promise you'll love it!

*
You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to Kendall@KendallSummerHawk.com

Kendall SummerHawk, the "Horse Whisperer for Business" delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com

How Aggressive Is Your Marketing

2008-12-22T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Charlie Cook

Cathy, a business writer, emailed me and said, "Boy, do I need to work on my Web site this year!" I gave her a couple of ways to improve her site and had her look at several websites that sell effectively on the Internet. Her response was a common one; she thought those sites were marketing aggressively and she worried about turning her prospects off with a "hard sell."

Are you concerned about being too aggressive in your marketing?

No one in business wants to be seen as the stereotypical used car salesman, who tries to sell you a lemon by claiming the car was owned by a little old lady who never drove it. And are prospects really convinced by promises that are too good to be true? "Start your own business and make $200,000 in just two weeks!" Then there are the salespeople who drive everyone crazy with their annoying cold calls at dinner time...

You could try the "soft sell" approach; in your marketing materials, simply state your company's name and include a list of the products or services you sell. This is a very common approach. But it doesn't work. It's true that if you're too loud or annoying, you may scare your prospects away, but if you're too subtle or you sound the same as the competition, no one will ever read your materials.

Let me clear up one misperception right away. Aggressive marketing does not mean deceiving your prospects or deliberately pestering them. Don't make claims that you can't back up, and don't annoy your prospects. You want them to become satisfied clients, after all.

When you think of aggressive marketing you may think of being aggressive as "showing a readiness or having a tendency to attack or do harm to others". Instead, think of aggressive marketing as "characterized by or exhibiting determination, energy, and initiative". (Definitions from Encarta)

When people read your marketing materials, your sales letters or your web site, you want to grab their attention, to impress them and to prompt them to contact you and buy from you. To get attention and do well, you need an aggressive marketing approach that demonstrates your determination, energy, and initiative.

Remember your school days. If you sat in the back of the class and never raised your hand, never asked a question or participated in discussions, it was tough to get top grades. No matter how smart you are or how good you are at what you do, if you don't let your prospects know how you can help them and convince them of your credibility, you won't get their business.

You want the people reading your sales letters or visiting your web site to contact you, get to know you, see you as the expert to rely on and buy from you. It's reasonable to expect at least one out of ten web site visitors to contact you.

Some of my clients are getting one out of five site visitors to contact them. If you're not getting that kind of response, chances are that you're not being aggressive enough in your marketing.

How aggressive are you in your marketing?

Take the 10 item quiz below to find out. Circle yes or no next to each question.

1. Have you written down your business goals for the next 12 months? Yes No

2. Is one of your goals to grow your list of qualified prospects by 5% each month? Yes No

3. Do you have a written marketing plan that guides your daily, weekly and monthly marketing activities? Yes No

4. Is the first and most prominent element in your marketing materials a one-sentence explanation of how you help your clients? Yes No

5. Do you feature client testimonials or case studies that provide proof of the results your products and services generate? Yes No

6. Is the first 50% or more of your marketing copy in your marketing materials focused on your prospects problems and concerns relative to your products and services? Yes No

7. In your s.ales letters and on your web site, do you use a free offer to prompt prospects to contact you? Yes No

8. Does your free offer prompt hundreds of people to contact you each week? Yes No

9. Do you follow up each prospect inquiry with an immediate response and at least 6 follow up contacts? Yes No

10. Do you continue to stay in touch with qualified prospects at least once a month, sharing an idea they can use and demonstrating the solutions you provide? Yes No

Your Marketing Aggressiveness Score and What It Means Count the number of your "Yes" answers and see below.

1 to 3 You're a marketing wallflower. You may be brilliant, and you may have great products and services, but your prospects have probably never heard of you and aren't buying from you. Make a marketing plan and discover how to create a steady stream of prospects.

3 to 6 You are on your way to becoming a successful marketer and to growing your business. You just need to discover how to generate more leads and more sales.

7 to 10 You're an aggressive marketer. You've been in business for at least a couple of years and understand the core marketing techniques that provide results. Next discover how to further increase your conversion rates and sell more to new and existing clients.

Whether you scored 1 or 10 on the quiz, there are steps you can take to improve your marketing and grow your business. You understand what your prospects want; use your marketing to motivate them to buy from you. Remember that aggressive marketing is about demonstrating your determination, energy, and initiative.

Fern Reisss Publishinggamecom Achieve Media Attention For Your Business

2008-12-21T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Fern Reiss

Do you want to be quoted by the national press on a daily basis? (How much would that be worth to your business?)

In the past six months, I've been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, Entrepreneur, The Associated Press, PBS, Voice of America, Family Circle, Glamour, Redbook, Self, Health, Prevention, Parents, Parenting, Women's World, First for Women, Newsday, Newsweek, Salon, In Touch Weekly--and even The National Enquirer.

In fact, I've been quoted in over 100 prestigious U.S. publications. I call this "Expertizing," and it's good for business, regardless of the business you're in. Anyone can learn to get this kind of media attention, for any book or any business; my Expertizing workshop attendees are achieving this same level of media recognition. Here's how:

First, syndicate. This column is syndicated; hundreds of thousands of people read it. Syndicating a newspaper column doesn't pay very well anymore (you'll probably make only $5 or $10 per column) but it gets your name out. And syndicating online is even easier. My next title, "The Publishing Game: Syndicate a Column in 30 Days" will cover the topic more thoroughly, but you can get started just by doing a google search for "[Keyword] article submit."

Start a national association. A national association will get you media attention automatically, regardless of your other credentials. The National Pediculosis Association in Needham, Massachusetts, is a great example. (That's lice, for those of you without small children.)

Create a holiday. Anyone can create a national holiday, and it's free. Register at Chases.com, and on a slow news day, journalists will come looking for more information on your holiday--the more interesting, funny, or quirky, the better. I just helped an Expertizing client set up a holiday for her very technical company that would otherwise have been paid little press attention--but next year, she's going to be inundated with press attention when National Geek Day rolls around.

If you're going to do a flyer for your business, put something useful on the back so people don't throw it away. The back of my Publishing Game book flyer has a useful hot contact list, with contact information for major magazines, talk show hosts, wholesalers and distributors, book reviewers, and more. (You can get a complimentary copy at http://www.PublishingGame.com) My new Expertizing flyer has information on my Expertizing workshops on one side, but the other side has suggestions of how to write Killer Soundbites that the media will quote. (You can get a free copy of that one at http://www.Expertizing.com) If you include something useful, people will hang onto your flyers forever.

Talk to the press. Press kits mostly get tossed or buried. But today there are services you can subscribe to that will keep you up to date on what journalists are working on, so that you can respond in time to be quoted in their articles. I respond to health journalists with quotes about my Infertility Diet book; I respond to business journalists with information about my Publishing Game and Expertizing products. But I also respond about lifestyle issues--entrepreneurship, marriage, kids, home business. One of the things I do in my all-day Expertizing workshops is train authors and executives to develop the soundbites that will propel them into these articles. Even without training, you can generate plenty of press.

Don't forget speaking. If you enjoy public speaking, do as much of it as you can. Speaking can pay--even public libraries pay for talks--and even without pay, it's worth it for the publicity. If you speak at the Learning Annex, for example, thousands of people see your information. When it comes to speaking, this is one of the few times you shouldn't focus just on your niche. Cast your net more widely, and see if you don't have something to say to others. For example, this year I'm speaking at Media Relations, at SPAN, and at Book Expo America, all of which are in my target audience. But I'm also speaking to over 200 CEOs at an executive transition firm event--and that's probably going to generate more business for me, because writers and publishers have heard of me already, but these executives may have not. So look for new audiences and groups that might be interested, as well as your target markets.

And then forget what I'm telling you, about how you have to do this or that sort of PR. Do the publicity you love. What you love doing will be most effective for you, because you'll enjoy it. So if you like to speak, go out and do that, but if you'd prefer to sit home in your bathrobe and do it all by email, do that instead. Live the dream the way you want to.

Fern Reiss is the CEO of http://www.Expertizing.com and http://www.PublishingGame.com. More information on Fern's books ("The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days," (literary agents) "The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days," (self publishing) and "The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days" (book promotion) and all-day Publishing Game workshops can be found at PublishingGame.com. More information on positioning yourself as an expert and being quoted by the media, along with Fern's Expertizing Workshops at the Ritz Carlton in Boston (September 19) and Manhattan (October 4) can be found at http://www.Expertizing.com.

Marketing In Business And Commerce In The New Consciousness

2008-12-20T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by George Lockett

The point is what you give to another you give to yourself; the reason being that there is only one of us. You are apart part of the Universal life force just the same as your customer is. If you want to have any experience in your life, just course another to have that experience, and you notice it showing up in your life as well.

We have had the industrial revolution; we are now going through a consciousness revolution. It is getting more and more difficult to Asses, where your consciousness ends and your customer's consciousness starts. People are becoming more intuitive and telepathic.

The consciousness of the planet is waking up and each individual mind is starting to realise that it is part of a bigger system. As the energy of the Oneness grows, so does synchrony in your life, where you find your Self in the right place at the right time for something magical to happen.

The path of life is shown by your joy, and we have all got a field of all possibilities open to us in each moment, at ever step on the path to evolution and growth just choose what brings you greatest joy from all these possible options.

You need to ask the question "Can wealth create or do we create wealth?" It is human consciousness that expresses the divine life force that flows through us, through our thoughts, desires and passions. That comes into reality in our thoughts, words and actions.

Opening up and connecting your own individual life's purpose, to the purpose of the divine universal life force that really courses growth in each individual and the whole system of business and commerce.

Very soon the business system is going to realise that it is no longer about profit. It is about growth, sharing and helping bring balance to the whole planet. There is not longer a need for Microsoft to have 57 billion dollars in the bank, while millions starve in Africa. This is like saying it is great that my Brian has all this money, while my Leg withers and dies through starvation.

Balance and helping the whole to develop and grow together is our future path. We just have to release the concepts of fear and shortage in world resources and ownership. To one of giving and sharing what we are all apart of; Life itself, we just need to wake up to the bigger picture.

* New book * "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers.

Read HealerGeorge's Blog: Curezone Blog or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

Mortgage Broker Marketing Do You Speak Mortgages

2008-12-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jeffrey Nelson

You only get one chance to make a first impression. If you aren't using your first contact to really connect with your audience, you may as well forget it. Unfortunately, too many loan officers are trying to capture the attention of real estate agents, but for all their efforts, they might as well be speaking another language.

What do you think an agent considers the most important problem or service that you could offer? Do you think it is customer service, competitive rates, referrals or leads, qualifying home buyers, etc? If you answered yes, you may not have spent much time around agents.

Like most of us, real estate agents are interested in the things that affect them directly - listings, sales, commissions, referrals, open houses, and marketing. Finding the most competitive rate on a loan doesn't mean a thing to them. They want to talk about their business, real estate - not mortgages.

Focus on the Problem

If you want to capture the attention of agents you need to focus on the problems that are important to them. There are a lot of people that offer mortgages - real estate agents don't need mortgages, and if they did there are a line of candidates waiting outside their office. What they need is someone who understands their problems - that's where you come in.

Maybe you think you can solve their problems. So, you put together a marketing piece that gives them a solution to their problem, right? Well, no - to really have impact in your message you need to describe the problem, not the solution. Agents are more likely to "tune in" to your message when you describe a problem.

Competent and Caring Builds Curiosity

Problem-based marketing communicates two things to the real estate agent - that you are competent (you understand the problem), and you are caring (you want to help). Agents are used to a lot of empty promises from loan officers - but your message doesn't promise anything, it simply communicates your understanding and your potential to help.

Your message will generate curiosity on the agent's part - they will naturally want to know more about what you offer, what your solution to the problem is. And that curiosity will lead to moving the relationship forward, one step at a time. The more options you have for one-on-one interactions, the more familiarity and trust you develop. These two ingredients are essential to creating the kind of reciprocal relationship you want.

How else can you speak the language of real estate agents? Start with advertising channels associated with agents. Use channels that allow agents to discover you. Think about where do they network, what magazines, publications and newsletters appeal to them, which conferences and workshops do they attend. Again, this is just one more method to stand out from your field of competition.

With a little time and patience, you can build bilingual skills that attract agents. In your marketing efforts, what you say and how you say it can make all the difference to your business.

Jeff Nelson helps loan officers increase loan originations by attracting quality relationships with real estate agents from the development of customized relationship-building strategies.

Click here to get a free copy of the Marketing Planning Guide, a 20-page workbook designed to help you outline a strategy to become an Agent Magnet.

Visit us at http://www.loan-officer-marketing.com

The 3 Laws Of Travel Shoppers Amp Howto Convert Them Into Sales

2008-12-18T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tim Warren

In the first article, Tourism Marketing Success - Double Your Sales in 4 Simple and Profitable Steps, we looked at the power your written and verbal marketing communications has to increase or smother your tourism sales. Do not rely exclusively on graphic artists, designers and web technicians to create your marketing brochures, websites, videos, and trade show stands, etc.

This can be a costly mistake.

They are artists and technicians not sales and marketing experts.

Good news.

Follow the tips outlined here and you and your team can learn and apply proven "buying triggers" that will compel more prospects to e-mail, call and become your clients.

The Three Laws of Travel Prospects© Today's travel consumers, especially in active travel or exotic locations, want to know three critical things fast about your business or tourism destination before they give you a booking:

1. That others have traveled before them; meaning your company has experience doing what it says it does.

2. That other people had a good time; meaning you offer exceptional service, fun and educational experiences to exciting places.

3. That nobody died; meaning you run safe operations.

Because the world is so accessible, ever changing, and occasionally volatile, would-be prospect must have their basic concerns addressed before they can choose your company or destinations. Price, length of stay, and types of activities, etc. is a secondary purchasing decision after core safety and experience needs are met.

The First Key Element To Communicate If you were looking to book a group on a rafting vacation, and you didn't know either of these companies, whom would you call first?

1. Joe's Jolly Jaunts

2. Reba's Rafting Rides - Since 1968, Over 147,000 Delighted Guests

Most would call Reba, because the top questions of her experience and credibility have been answered in only three seconds. Clearly the Reba's Rafting Rides with so many happy guests and twenty-eight years operations answers the "Three Laws of Travel Prospects" fast; many traveled before you, had a good time and nobody died.

Joe's Jaunts proudly started last month awaits their first group, pretty sure they will do a good job.

Are you ready to be the first...?

Everyone wants to know that the company they contacted has experience, credibility and their safety is your top concern before they make a purchasing decision.

It does not matter if you are booking or supplying college alumni rafting trips on advanced class IV rapid in Zambia or a church birding cruise in Baja, Mexico. Apply this simple yet powerful "psychological trigger" and your travel marketing will yield more profits and arrivals guaranteed.

Here are five of the twelve effective methods to communicate your credibility and sell more group travel.

This includes your:

1. Number of guests

2. Years of professional experience or company operations

3. Awards and recognition

4. Testimonials clients and media

5. Endorsements by known associations or celebrities

Do Not Bury Your Secret Travel Sales Weapon Do not bury this important proof of credibility deep in your website, brochure or video. The sad truth is, few time-challenged travel shoppers will make it that far. It is SUPER IMPORTANT to make your Credibility Statement very conspicuous. I recommend the upper left-hand corner of all your marketing materials, because that is how we were trained to read. Use your video voice over, top of cover letters and even on the outside of envelopes. You can't over emphasize credibility too much.

How-To Get Your Clients to Sell for You with Audio Testimonials

What's the #1 form of advertising? Word of mouth.

When you can get your clients to enthusiastically share from their heart with others about the great trip or service they received, you sell more don't you?

There is some very cool, new and simple technology that allows your clients to call into your own private phone number, leave their testimonial and you can publish it on your website easy. This is word of mouth advertising on steroids guaranteed to help you sell more travel.

To see and hear for yourself the latest easy technology to increase your credibility and sell more group travel on your website that's simple and low-cost, check out the audio samples on http://www.alaskarafters.com

In the next article, learn the 2nd secret of successful tourism marketing communications, the "Defining Headline"©. If you want to sell more travel on your website, trade shows, advertising and in your brochure, you cannot afford to miss this highly profitable and mostly overlooked travel sales secret.

Tim Warren is the author of "Tourism Marketing Success"; where you will learn seven more strategies to communicated your experience and credibility and sell more travel guaranteed. http://www.AdventureBizSuccess.com/tourismmarketingbook.php You'll also learn many diverse examples of how tourism professionals successfully use a profitable credibility statement to sell more travel in print, video and audio. Do you want free travel marketing tips, resources and tele-seminars to increase your sales, arrivals and profits? Go to http://www.AdventureBizSuccess.com and get our E-newsletter and new Podcast, Tourism Business Success. For a new travel industry survey where you can get answers to your top travel business and tourism marketing questions, go to: http://adventurebizsuccess.com/ask1_tourism_tim.htm

Simple Marketing Tips

2008-12-17T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Patty Benton

Marketing is one of the most important pieces of your business plan. Without marketing, people will not be able to find what your business is about and all your wonderful services. So how do you market? What's the most important thing you can do to market?

1. Set clear marketing goals for yourself.

2. Follow up your marketing. If you send a letter via mail, don't stop with just one. Marketing experts advise you to send 6-9 pieces of advertisement before "giving up" on the recipient.

3. Decide who you want to market to. Are you a realtor who wants to market to homeowners, reminding them of your services? Are you a VA who works with realtors? What is your target market? Once you decide, focus your marketing efforts on your target market. Forget letting every Joe Brown know about your business. Focus on weeding out those who would best benefit from your services, and spend your marketing dollars on them.

4. If you have an advertising budget, research where you are spending your dollars. Who does that magazine or newsletter reach? Make sure it is your target market.

5. Track your advertising pieces. Give each marketing piece a special code your target market needs to use to redeem your "offered" special. This way you know where each "potential" client heard of you. If you advertise in a newsletter for 6 months, and never get one bite, then you probably don't want to renew. But if you got 10 new clients, it's a safe bet that this is a great place to advertise.

6. Follow up. Follow up is a VERY important piece that many of us fall short on. You get a "maybe" or "when I need your services, I'll call" people. Those are warm leads. They have shown interest, so don't let them forget you. Set up a drip email campaign and send them information that they would find useful. This keeps you in their mind, without you becoming annoying. Another great thing, pick up the phone every so often and call them up. Show interest in their business, and they will remember you.

These are just a few important things that every business owner needs to remember when creating a marketing plan.

You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, as long as the text and byline remain unedited. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and JERPAT Web Design, http://www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable administrative and web design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and realtors. Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entrepreneurs interested in venturing into the virtual assistance industry. She has developed a program that is affordable for all. Visit her coaching site at http://www.virtualvacoach.com for program details and great business resources. If you would like to receive Patty's articles and other tips in your mailbox every month, you can sign up at http://www.mortime4u.org/home.html.

4 Steps To More Effective Client Testimonials

2008-12-16T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by James Palmer

Client Testimonials. They make prospects trust you, and are essential for getting more business. But are your testimonials the best they can be? Do they really inspire trust in your prospective customers? Below are 4 ways you can improve the power of your testimonials to get even more business.

1. Include a Client Photo

Post a photo of your client above or beside his or her testimonial. People are naturally suspicious of anyone trying to sell them something, but a photo helps to show that real people just like themselves has bought from you and were satisfied with what you have to offer.

2. List Client's full name and business name or URL

Another skepticism buster, posting the client's full name and business URL makes it clear to your prospect that real people have used and liked your product or service. Testimonials written by "Jane M.., Kansas" or "Roger S., Consultant" sound intentionally vague and look made-up. Instead use "Jane Michaels, President of Thunderclap Marketing" or "Roger Sherwood, Bay City Consultants, www.baycityconsultants.com".

3. Use a Mini Headline

This one isn't a mustbut it sure does look cool! Check out this one I yanked from an online sales letter:

"Master Closer in Print!"

"I will pay Clayton Makepeace the highest compliment anyone can say about a copywriter. He is a master closer in print."

Gary Bencivenga Million Dollar Copywriter

See how that works? You just pull a phrase from the testimonial and turn it into a mini subhead. These are great if you have a lot of testimonials, because they catch a reader's eye and help keep all those kind words about you from running together.

4. Be Specific

Specificity sells. Don't use a general testimonial that reads "John is a great guy and a wonderful copywriter. His work is phenomenal." That doesn't really tell your prospective buyer anything. Here's how that testimonial should read: "John's sales letter beat the pants off my old control, increasing response by 300%!"

Guide your clients toward making their testimonials about your business as specific as possible, discussing what you did for them, and showing some actual numbers when applicable.

For example, avoid saying "I made thousands in a couple of days using Joan's coaching program." Instead write "Using Joan's coaching program, I made $3,956.87 in 48 hours!" This is more believable, and puts some real number values in people's heads.

And there you have it, 4 great ways to beef up your client testimonials. Using one or all of these methods can significantly improve response to your products and services, and having clients beating down your door!

James Palmer is a freelance copywriter and co-author of the books Networking Like a Pro! and How to Overachieve W/O Overcommitting. He creates business-building ads, press releases, website copy and sales letters for a variety of clients. For a free, no-obligation copy quote, or to sign up for his free newsletter The Write Stuff, visit http://www.jamesmpalmer.com

The Fundementals Of Marketing

2008-12-15T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Sudesh Pillay

Marketing gives you a better understanding of potential opportunities within the market that will help develop the vision of the company. Therefore, it is definitely a process worth cultivating.

In this section, we will identify Marketing fundementals that will help you develop your Marketing plan.

Is there a Market for your product or service This must be the first question that you answer as you need to know whether your product will survive or not. Factors like competition, location, uniqueness and demand all need to be analysed (P's of marketing next page). One word to help you, Research. The key is to gather as much information as possible on the current Market situation. This will give all the answers you need. Better yet, you don't need to do it yourself, there are plenty of Marketing agencies out there who do Market research as part of their core products. Take a look at our recommended business section where you will find information on such companies.

Getting your Marketing message heard Who, How and when. Who needs to hear the message, how will the message best be implemented and when is the best time for them to hear it.

An example: Company A wants to inform the Market about a new Telecoms product that they are selling. Who? The product is designed around a small business infrastructure as it will help them cut down on costs. Great, thats one question answered. How? The recent rise in broadband consumption amoungst small businesses and homeowners make Email Marketing an appropriate choice. Direct Mail Marketing would be too expensive and results would be difficult to measure. Using return receipts make it possible for them to measure delivery of emails whereas they would be 'left in the dark' trying to determine whether or not someone received something in the post. When to send the email? 9 o' clock on Monday morning...yeah right. People are bombarded with Spam, so the chances of your email being read are slim to say the least. After lunch on Wednesday has been proven to have a high response rate.

Lets summarise: Company A determined that their product was best suited for small businesses. Answering that all important first question led to them to identifying how to communicate their message and when an appropriate time to send it would be.

Fail to measure and you'll end up measuring your failure Measuring and testing different ways of implementing Marketing strategies or getting your message put across is a key aspect in the Marketing process. I tell most of my clients that you have to fail once and most of the time they do...but only once. Why? Because I also advised them on how to measure their results. So at the end of the day, they are able to see where they went wrong or where the Market wasn't very hospitible to their product which ensures that they never make the same mistake again.

Results, Results, Results Always remember what the objective of the Marketing is. This will ensure that results are measured effectively. For instance, you shouldn't be reconciling the cash at the end of the day if the objective was to increase your Website traffic and not to sell any products.

Sudesh Pillay
http://www.marketinginfo.co.uk

Exposing Your Expertise

2008-12-14T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Aaron OHanlon

One thing that I find amazing is how many contractors are unaware of how much they really know. The reason people hire home improvement services, albeit a new heating system or a kitchen remodel, is because they have no idea of what the process is, how much it costs, and what goes into the implementation of the project. A contractor's knowledge and expertise is one of the most important marketing tools they have. Using, what we call "consumer education" provides you with several important advantages over your competition.

First, offering free information is a tremendously effective way to attract potential clients into your lead funnel. Think about it. When most people are interested in making a new purchase, especially a large purchase, the first thing they are going to do, is gather information.

When spending a large amount of money, on something they are very unsure of, they will gather information, to find out cost, time and process before implementing or purchasing this service. It is very rare for someone to walk off the street, and just throw down a large amount of money in your lap, without doing any research. Before they sign a contract, before they call a contractor, before they even know what they want, before all of this, they want to gather information. In nearly every case, before a potential client will call a contractor any contractor they seek out information.

One way to exercise your expertise and catch potential clients before they contact you, when they are in the research phase, is to write articles. Writing and leveraging articles is one of the most successful strategies not only to promote your services, but also it increases the optimization of your website, which will drive more traffic.

Here are some recommendations to implement this strategy:

1. Write the article.

This may sound self-evident, but a couple of pointers:

a) Keep it short, and make the language simple, especially if you're targeting online. People don't read word for word on the Web - rather, they'll scan the screen. Complex sentences and dense copy will lose readers fast. Don't use contracting jargon, but think of the potential client (housewife, 35-55) who will be reading the article.

b) Some good examples of story ideas would be:

How Replacement Windows Save You Money.
Cheap Ways To Remodel Your Kitchen .
The Importance of A Whole House Humidifier.
There are a hundred ideas for articles that you can write on.
If you have trouble coming up with an article idea, simply think of the most common questions your clients ask you, and write an article on that.

2. Publishing your article

A) First let's think of offline publishing: Don't try sending your articles to your local trade magazines, as potential clients do not read them. Send them to magazines or newspapers that your potential clients may read. Send it to the local newspaper. Walk into your nearest home improvement retail outlet. Look at all the magazines they have, and send it directly to the editor. Since you are a professional and expert in your industry, you might as well market and promote yourself as one. Magazines and Newspapers are always looking for content, and should have no problem publishing your article, if it relates to their readership.

B) Now, let's discuss publishing your article online: One of the key goals of your website should be to showcase your expertise. Content (combined with testimonials and pictures) is the best way to achieve this.

When adding articles to your site:

a) Include a clear reprint policy. This should state whether you allow articles to be reprinted, and if so, under what terms (including your byline, copyright, notification of use, etc.)

b) If you have a large number of articles, provide an index page that divides them into appropriate subject groupings, and gives a two-line description of each.

c) Create a byline with an enticing hook to get people to visit your Website.

Once your article is on your own website, you should now submit it to other websites. You can find hundreds of websites that are always looking for content, simply type in your specialty in a search engine, and you now have thousands of potential sites that will publish your article. Writing and distributing articles to online article directories is another very good way to get your article published, and drive traffic to your website.

By writing articles and getting them published, unlike your competitors who have to seek out their prospects, your prospects will come to you automatically! They'll "find you" first by reading your article, making you an expert in what they are searching. Then, if interested in pursuing their project, they'll seek you out to help them solve their project problems. (If you had a problem - medical, legal, remodeling, etc., wouldn't you want to go to the expert?).

Aaron O'Hanlon is a marketing consultant with FootBridge Media, a marketing firm, specializing in the contracting industry. He is also the web administrator to RenovateYourMarketing.com, a free marketing resource for contractors. It is his mission to create awareness of marketing online to the home improvement industry, and to educate, inform and assist contractors on taking over their own online presence. Find out more information at http://www.renovateyourmarketing.com

Does Your Business Appeal To 227 Billion Of Lohas Green Consumers

2008-12-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jaya Schillinger

Are you wondering what LOHAS stands for? Don't feel bad if you aren't familiar with it yet. If you're living in the SF Bay Area, you understand it more than you may know. LOHAS is a convenient marketing buzzword that stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Simply put, it refers to the $227 billion dollar consumer market of people who want more consciousness in their day-to-day lives and are spending their money accordingly. This large subculture is detailed in the book, The Cultural Creatives by Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson. If you're actively building a business in the alternative health, spa, or personal development fields, you're probably in this demographic yourself, but either way, chances are good that a hefty percentage of your income comes from LOHAS consumers. This is not just a trend, but a massive change in the way that we all do business.

The LOHAS Journal first coined the phrase, and attributes 5 key values to this group of people:

Sustainable Economy
Healthy Living
Alternative Healthcare
Personal Development
Ecological Lifestyles

In my opinion, the most important aspect of conducting business in this new marketplace is authenticity. People are so burnt out on hype and manipulation. The old-style marketing machine is still grinding away, but LOHAS consumers are demanding change. When more conscious consumers become conscious business owners, capitalism as we know it will change.

If you're already a business owner that has an inspired vision and wants to make a difference, this is your time! The new economy is much more about quality instead of "empty quantity". By bringing more of your authentic values and passion into your work, you will not only feel more fulfilled, but you will be on the leading edge of this new age of conscious commerce.

Whether you've been in business for awhile or are just starting out, it's a good idea to reevaluate your practices to see if they fit with your values, especially as your business grows and changes:

Are you performing services the way you want to serve, or simply like you were trained?
Does your work environment inspire you to be creative?
Are you still procrastinating on making time for eating right and working out, even though you're in a health business yourself?
Would it really be that inconvenient to start recycling your office paper?

By making even small changes in the way your business runs, so that everything you do is aligned with your values, you'll feel happier and healthier at work. Show your customers that you care about them and the environment, and they will also feel great about your work. Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". That's exactly what you need to do to create a successful business within the LOHAS community.

10 Ways to Turn Off the LOHAS "Conscious Consumer"

Using synthetic perfumes & detergents in your products or services
Wasting paper by sending multi-page offers by mail
Double-bagging or using too much packing materials
Playing music with harsh language or aggressive beats
Getting annoyed when they ask about ingredients
Tell them what to do, instead of asking them what they want
Rushing them to a close or not being willing to discuss their needs
Not being willing to send them elsewhere, if they ask for a referral
Outsourcing employment to socially irresponsible or unjust countries
Marketing your products/services as "natural," when they aren't.

Jaya Schillinger "The Turnaround Queen" at http://www.InspirationInc.com is a certified life coach & small business consultant with over 20 years of business ownership & management experience in the fields of personal development, health, and beauty.

The Real Path To Big Bucks On The Internet

2008-12-12T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Shawn Casey

"Instead Of Wasting Time Trying To Hit The Lottery Of Internet Riches, Focus On Building Your Business One Sweet Income Stream At A Time!"

Eric (one of my JV partners) experienced an epiphany yesterday. He had one of those rare moments of insight that can forever change your life.

In the 5 or 6 years that I've known Eric, the number one question on his mind is how he can find that magical combination of product and website that will instantly create a hundred thousand dollar monthly return. Preferably, without a lot of work.

Then, he tripped over a site yesterday describing how one company had websites that only made between $100 and $200 each. But they've got over 2,000 websites. Do the math.

You may have heard the phrase that there's at least a million ways to make a million bucks. I believe it.

While I am a major proponent of "thinking big," I'm also realistic.

I didn't create a massive income overnight from one magical success. Instead, I've got a bountiful array of income streams that add up to incredible numbers.

Yes, normal people (those that don't spend as much as my wife and I do) could live comfortably on some of the individual checks that come in. On the flip side, if I lost any one of the income streams, I'd be inconvenienced. But my spending habits wouldn't even require an adjustment.

I've got to give credit to my friend Robert Allen for beating this into my head several years ago. You've probably seen his bestselling book series on "Multiple Streams Of Income". By the way, you can find me as a contributor to "Multiple Streams Of Internet Income".

From a security standpoint, it's great to have lots of different checks come in each month.

Looking at a business start-up, it's much easier to get some different $200 to $1,000 checks each month than it is to create that magic smash success.

How do you do this? Consider this idea -- pick a target market or product or MLM - something...anything. Just pick something to focus on that you can set on autopilot.

Here are some real examples:

- a networking company that I promoted one time to my mailinglist about 3 years ago sends me weekly checks ranging from $20 to $180.

- another networking company that I promote with a couple of website links kicks in about $3,500 a month.

- I refer people through an affiliate program to a product that includes recurring billing and my most recent check was over $2,400.

Notice - I've not even mentioned selling my own products yet...

Some of those sell tens of thousands of dollars. Others just sell a few hundred.

- for example...I bought the master resale rights to one product and set up a pre-packaged website. Took a couple of hours to do that and get it submitted to the search engines. Added a couple links to websites. The site probably averages one $40 sale per day with no advertising cost.

While $1,200 a month isn't going to make you rich, it will make a mortgage payment for some or a car payment on a very luxurious automobile for others.

What if you just followed this simple pattern of setting up a few different deals that each brought in several hundred dollars a month? What would your monthly income be in a year?

Most of these little deals run on auto-pilot. Set it and forget it. Just cash the checks when they come in.

And they will come in if you follow this plan.

And if you'd like a serious shortcut to getting started with these types of deals, then pay close attention to your email inbox early this week. I'm launching an incredible marketing system that will let you just plug in and go.

Yours in success,

Shawn Casey

Internet Millionaire Shawn Casey's "Mining Gold On the Internet" is one of the best selling Internet books with over 85,000 copies sold. In "Mining Gold", Shawn reveals the same step-by-step strategies he uses to create millions in Internet sales => http://www.ipcgold.com/ad/100/CD3839 Benefit from Shawn's 7 years of Internet experience and learn from someone who has actually made millions online.

Accelerating Business Market Share

2008-12-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

How can you increase business market share? Well one thing that does not work is sitting on your ass and waiting for others to do it for you. If you want it, you have to get busy and go get it. No one is going to automatically flock to your product or service until you ask them or someone tells them. To propel such customer response is not rocket science but it can be and one should consider all possibilities. So you are probably wanting to hear some secret strategy and real world knowledge right about now right?

Okay very well let me tell you how we do it. We call it "Bonzai and Blitz Marketing" and it goes something like this; First you scout the area for every potential customer of every subsector or possible market niche in the area. Then you list all of these out and categorize them as to which are potentially the most profitable sectors to operate and look at the clustering by area of the city, county, state or region. Next you take the highest priorities based on clustering and profitability and you put together your Blitz Team to go out and contact these companies. Ask questions, offer products, services, terms and find out what the competition is doing, promising or failing at.

Next you go in for the kill and close the very best accounts and attack the market, sign up customers and blast your company into the future. You never look back and drive towards the goal line. If the competition does not get out of the way accelerate as you go over, around or thru them. I swear to God, I do not want to hear any pussies out there complaining that this is hard work or making excuses. Quite frankly winning is not of the weak or the pansy asses of the world. Stop sitting on your butt and get out there and kick some. That is all you may go. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Profit From Your Event Define Your Payment Rules

2008-12-10T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Chris Herrmann

Frank Richards is a Business Management Consultant who specializes in Service Level Agreements. Last month he ran four seminars in major Australian cities but he's finding that the ticket money does not cover his costs.

In these days of instant payment you would believe that the problem of unpaid registration fees is a negligible issue. Unfortunately the days of instant payment do not coincide with the days of red-tape-free purchase ledger accounting. Companies have their own internal rules about raising requisitions for payment and some may take in excess of 90 days to clear all of the hurdles. Although this is probably one of the best reasons for delivering invitations to corporate delegates more than three months prior to the event, it still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do about non-paying delegates.

The answer, as with all financial issues, is to have a clear set of contracted rules that are sent out with the invoice paperwork, the confirmation of registration, the joining instructions and any other communication that you may exchange with your delegates. There is nothing complicated about the wording; all you must state is "If payment is not received 21 days prior to the event then a place will not be reserved for the delegate". Choose your time period to be realistic otherwise you may alienate potential attendees who know that their accounts department cannot meet the criteria.

Nominate one of your admin team as a Credit Analyst to keep an eye on late payments and make it their job to make increasingly frequent calls to the delegate to enquire how payment is proceeding. This pressure alone will normally accelerate payment as the delegate won't want to lose their place at the event and they'll use your payment terms to coax the money from the accountants. What to do about late payment

In extreme cases delegates will plead their powerlessness against the moneymen and they will find themselves up against the wire with nowhere to turn. It's your opportunity to be magnanimous and allow the delegate to attend the event so long as they bring a check or even cash with them to hand over at the door.

Keep it in mind that bad debt in Australia can be measured in trillions of dollars each year and the major reason given is poor debt management, meaning that people are often not tenacious enough to chase down delinquent purchasers.

So, be tough and resolute; an event is an instant product, consumed as it is manufactured. If you get your payment late, how can you possibly pay all of the players who are providing goods and services to make the event a success? You can't ask for the product to be returned.

Be polite and understanding; offer the delegate a place on a later event or some one-on-one consultancy as an alternative. Be as flexible as you can but don't disrespect the prompt payers by relaxing your standards for an organization that can't get its act together.

Published by MyBookingManager.com

The convenient, professional, time saving & cost effective way to accept registrations, bookings & payments for your next seminar, workshop, trade display or membership event.

Gain Increased Sales By Telling True Stories

2008-12-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Carol Bentley

Everyone loves a story. Listen to any conversation especially in social situations and at some point someone will tell a story. About something they've experienced, read about, heard or saw.

That's why newspapers sell; magazines sell; people watch TV programmes and newscasts; read books; listen to the radio. The 'human interest' captures our attention, our imagination and our curiosity to know 'how things turned out'.

YOU CAN USE THIS HUMAN TRAIT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN YOUR SALES LETTERS.

When you tell a story or explain a case study your reader wants to know how it turns out; what was the result; how does it apply to them; how can they use any 'lesson learnt' in their situation?

Tell a story about someone who had a problem your reader can identify with. Describe how your product or service resolved that problem and you've hooked your reader into your letter and your offer.

HERE'S THE TRICK

Of course, as you'd expect there's a technique to how to use this to the best effect in your letter. The trick is not to tell the WHOLE story at once. Use it as a 'sandwich'.

Start your story, describe the real pain, frustration and aggravation your client or customer was having. Remember; keep your writing style conversational as if you're telling a group of friends over a drink in the local pub. Hint that there's a solution which you'll "explain in a minute". Then tell them about something else. It could even be another story or case history, or about some of the benefits your offer gives them.

IT REALLY WORKS

This technique was used in a very successful mailing campaign you'll be astounded at the results it brought in.

The letter started off by telling the reader about a very 'scary court judgement' made against someone in the same profession as them. A jail sentence was awarded as the penalty for a very obscure oversight something they could so easily miss themselves.

The offer being made in the letter was to attend a seminar that made sure they were up to date on all the legal aspects of their business so they wouldn't fall into traps like this. It went on to describe the contents of the seminar and how it was relevant to them at this point THEY STILL HADN'T BEEN TOLD WHAT THE MISTAKE WAS the reader was being kept in suspense so they stayed 'on for the ride'.

They NEEDED to know what that error was so they could avoid it. The letter went on to explain all the other pitfalls and stumbling blocks they could come up against if they didn't attend the course being offered.

After explaining all the pain they could avoid and the benefits they would accrue from the seminar the reader was finally let into the secret and the letter told them the amazingly silly mistake that had resulted in such a dire penalty.

All the information we wanted the reader to know about the seminar offer was effectively 'sandwiched' inside the story; a story about something that could so easily happen to them.

And that's what you do; finish off the story later in your letter. When you use this technique, provided your story is interesting AND relevant to the reader, you entice them to continue reading your letter. Compel them to finish reading all of it because they just HAVE to KNOW what happened.

VARIATIONS

In some instances you could leave your reader 'dangling' they have to respond to your offer to find out the ending, what the punch line is. You build the final part of your story into the action you want your reader to take.

This is why it is so vital for you to collect testimonials and stories from your satisfied, happy and especially delighted clients. Their experiences and your solutions bring your letter to life.

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

The result of the campaign this technique was used in?

A MASSIVE 262% increase in response resulting in over £24,101 worth of business (with an average sale amount of just £59), and 29 new clients, who purchased considerably more afterwards.

(Did you notice I used this sandwich technique in this article?)

Extracted from the book 'I Want to Buy Your Product... Have You Sent Me a Letter Yet' (How to create powerful sales letters, advertisements, flyers, brochures, web pages and newsletters that persuade hundreds, or even thousands, of additional customers and clients to buy from you!) by Carol A E Bentley (Rated 5-star on Amazon.co.uk)

Subscribe to your free reports, with no obligation, at
http://www.accelerateyoursales.co.uk or visit http://www.CarolBentley.com

The Top 10 The Top Ten Signs That Your Marketing Message Needs A Facelift

2008-12-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Bea Fields

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is it lacking the zest and appeal which can penetrate the consciousness of your buyers? If so, you may be driving away folks who could easily buy your products or services. If so, these ten signs from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z: B is for Boring will support you in raising your awareness of what drives folks away and tips on how you can create a message which will catch fire in the market place.

1. It's all about you.

Folks are not interested in you and your accolades. They want to know what you can do to solve their problem of the day. Drop the focus on you, and turn the spotlight on what is important to your buyer.

2. It is filled with details and research.

People are bogged down in details and statistics. They are much more interested in buying from someone who shares their personal experiences and who is willing to build an open and honest relationship.

3. It lacks action-oriented words.

People love to buy Nike products, because the words "Just Do It" communicate action. By using words such as run, dance, live, sing, move, or play, you will get your potential clients moving, excited about buying your product or service.

4. You have nothing new to offer.

People are bored with the same old same old. Put yourself on the bleeding edge of your profession by taking advantage of the new tools and resources which are out of the norm. (Example: In Coaching, we take advantage of modern online survey tools and blogging tools which breathe new life into our businesses.)

5. Your message drips of "neediness."

If your marketing message is focused on "sell, sell, sell," you will send the message that you are needy, which will drive customers away. Communicate your willingness to provide value, and you will develop raving fans.

6. Your message lacks "color."

An advertisement can be delivered in black and white, still have "color," and paint an amazing picture. Use powerful words which will grab the attention of your potential customers such as discover (suggests excitement), proven (sends a message of peace of mind), and savings (everyone wants more money and more time).

7. You are marketing on the surface.

People buy based on emotions. If you are selling shampoo, don't just sell shampoo...sell beautiful hair. If you are selling heating and air units, sell comfort and warmth. If you are selling a vacation, sell a luxurious day on the beach and romantic walks under the stars.

8. It lacks your personality.

Even if you are selling widgets, folks want to know who is selling the widgets. Why? Because they want to know you can be trusted to deliver as promised. Use fun photographs and life stories so that your buyers can get a closer look at your life. The connection you will make will be unforgettable.

9. Your message lacks "added value."

Studies show that people will buy if the value perceived is worth the investment. If you are charging nickels and dimes for small extras, you will quickly drive buyers away. People who "nit pick" over incidentals are often considered to be "uptight" and "inflexible." Yawn!!! Drop the nit-picking, and over deliver by adding extra value. Folks will love you for it!

10. You are playing "Follow the Leader."

People want to buy from people who are leaders. Be bold and unique in what you stand for in your business, and make this known on your website, in your brochures, and in the articles you write. You will position yourself as someone who is unique, confident, and someone who is worthy of trust.

About The Author

Bea Fields is an Executive Coach and the President of Five Star Leader Coaching and Training. She is a Consultant, Trainer, Public Speaker and Visionary for the Personal Environments Community for www.CoachVille.com. Along with Mitch Meyerson, Founder of Guerrilla Marketing Coach, she is the co-leader of the Guerrilla Marketing Coach Certification program. She is the co-author of the 90-Day Marathon Marketing E-Course for Coaches and Business Owners.

Making Time To Market Your Private Practice

2008-12-07T22:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lucy MacDonald

1. Start with a six-month plan.
If you are not doing very much marketing or if you are unhappy with your marketing efforts, a six month marketing plan is a good place to start. Schedule some time in your agenda to create a marketing plan. Anticipate marketing opportunities related to holidays or special events like mental health week or national depression screening day.

2. Set monthly and weekly marketing goals.
Once you've developed a six month plan, the next step is to include marketing time in your monthly and weekly agenda. How much time is enough time? If you are seeing less than 10 clients per week a good guideline is to spend at least one day per week on marketing.

3. Create a marketing to-do list.
Include a variety of marketing activities like distributing your brochure, presenting a free seminar at your local library, or writing a newsletter. Create a weekly to-do list and use it!

4. Double-up your marketing efforts.
Keep a good supply of brochures and business cards in your car and in your briefcase so that you can take advantage of impromptu marketing opportunities drop off brochures at a doctor's office that is next door to a networking event you are attending.

5. Take time to get your office organized.
A messy office can and will distract you when you are working on marketing your private practice.

Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed. is a business and marketing advisor to counselors, therapists, psychotherapists, and health care professionals. She is the creator of the R.E.A.L. Marketing system for private practitioners. Lucy is the author of How to Start and Market a Successful Private Practice, Learn to Manage Your Time and is a conference presenter.