Networking is the Key to Star Performance in Everything You Do.
May 31, 2008
Many people’s idea of networking relates to the ’size of their Christmas Card List, rather than the quality of their relationship with each person on that list. Similarly those people network, but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential. Here are some ideas to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be.
1 Be Generous - Give without expectations and you will be surprised at how it returns to you. It may not come from the same source but a new client, referral, or opportunity will show up because of your efforts.
2 Be Consistent - As in marketing, the more consistent your networking efforts the more productive they become.
3 Gift your contact - Imagine you are buying your contact a gift for their work - what might it be? Understanding what your contact is looking for is the key to developing rapport and mutual understanding.
4 Get Involved - Getting involved puts you in a consistent position of visibility. It allows you to retain ‘Top of Consciousness’ positioning and when people need someone your name will spring to mind.
The DNA of Motivation
May 30, 2008
It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone to climb a mountain, or go to college, or save for a car, or learn a new language or anything of a thousand things? What is it that moves someone to action from a position of comfortable stasis? The answer is motivation. Motivation is the process of stimulating you to action. It takes a need, desire or some other impulse and incites a response. Motivation is the high-octane fuel of success and, as such, it’s vital that individuals and teams capitalize on its power. Often motivation seems to occur spontaneously — the result of apparently random events. But random motivation isn’t the stuff of greatness - to say the least of profitability, innovation and success. It’s imperative that team makers and leaders cultivate and nurture motivation throughout the life of a project. Fortunately, motivation is relatively easy to create. In fact, it can be reduced to a formula: M = (D+ A)U. That is, motivation equals dissonance plus accountability, multiplied by urgency. This is the DNA of motivation. It’s the essence of what will fire individual imagination and resiliently drive action. Contained within this simple formula are the seeds of phenomenal success.
Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1
May 29, 2008
Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to opt-in online ezines? How often do you send thank you’s and follow up messages to your different email groups?
If you answered not many, then you need to re-evaluate. The answer to online success is the same as traditional success–promotion, promotion, promotion.
Use these easy ways to boost online credibility and sales:
1. Market and Make your Ezine a Sales Tool
Ezines are one road to sales if you have targeted subscribers who stay with you at least eight months. After four-seven issues, their trust builds and they eventually will buy from you. At the end of your feature article in your signature file include a link straight to your product or service sales letter related to your piece. Entice your ezine readers to go to your site often and stay a while to see new information, so they will eventually become faithful customers.
Many professionals complain that many subscribe to their ezine, but not many buy. Ask yourself why?
Is your ezine list of subscribers a targeted, preferred audience?
How To Make Money Online With The ClickBank Affiliate Program
May 29, 2008
How To Make Money Online With The ClickBank Affiliate Program
by: Tom Worsley
Affiliate programs have been the backbone of the internet work from home industry since the beginning of the internet. One of the most popular affiliate programs online today is ClickBank.
ClickBank is the online distribution center for over 10,000 digital products and services. Products marketplace are promoted through our network of over 100,000 online marketers (affiliates). Each vendor selects an affiliate commission percentage for their products in advance. Affiliates promote the products, and refer interested customers to the vendor’s web site.
I have been an affiliate promoting ClickBank’s vendor products and services for several years now and they have become my number 1 paying affiliate program today.
With ClickBank every link on your web site can be a source of revenue. Use the ClickBank Marketplace to find sites that will be of interest to people who visit your web site. Products are mostly electronic e-books and or online services which require no shipping and handling charges. Some of the commission pay outs are as high as 75% of the cost of the product or service.
Promote your Business and Products through Submitting Articles to Top Web Sites
May 28, 2008
Articles submitted to online publishers bring your site new visitors and increase your ezine subscribers. You can also get these benefits by submitting your articles to top Web sites that not only promote your products, but also your services.
Here’s how to get your articles on Web sites that have 1000-500,000 visitors each day.
1. Run a search on the top search engines to find the top ten Web sites that need your content and will gladly post your articles. Try Alta Vista at: www.altavista.com or Google at www.google.com.
2. Use this great shortcut to find sites your articles will fit with. Instead of searching for “product marketing” or something that is targeted, use the keyword “business” without the quotations. Type in “business” in the blank “search for” box, then search. You will have several million Web sites that are about business.
Next, replace the keyword “business” with two words: “submit article” then click on the box just below the “search for” box and click where it says: “Search Within these results” Now, do that sub-search and see the pages that allow you to submit business articles. Reaching these sites gives you great publicity as it helps increase your credibility.
Sales 101
May 27, 2008
For many individuals in business the hardest part is selling. For the majority of business owners, the jobs they had before don’t prepare them for dealing with selling products. So, this article will deal with some basic tips to help you with sales.
Always be sure to go to the head honcho. Ask to see the person in charge, the individual who makes the decisions. This avoids hearing, "let me ask my supervisor, my boss, etc." Also you project an image of confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Don’t be long winded. Remember the KISS principle. Time is a big factor today for all of us and the quicker you get to the point the better. So be sure your sales pitch is short, sweet and to the point. Have 3-5 benefits, don’t bore them with all the features. Remember, always to turn features into benefits.
Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?
May 26, 2008
The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our Home-Based and Small Business Support Group meetings and some we’ve developed by trial and error.
Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Knock on doors and call others in your line of business for overload work, or clients they have trouble working with. Send surveys to your clients. This will also help you to obtain testimonials. Do a general survey of your target market. This will give you better leads. For example, for my classes, I have a survey I use that contains, what type of equipment is being used, what type of programs they are using, and whether or not they do desk top publishing in-house. This survey gives me the name, address, and phone number of the person to send my class listings to, in addition, to determining whether or not they are a desk top publishing prospect.
Just Do It! Write Down Some Goals and Start Achieving!
May 25, 2008
You have a choice it would seem ? you can float along on the river of the life, don’t worry about where it takes you and maybe disappear over a waterfall or go with the flow but steer your way towards your objective.
If you want a chance at achieving something you have to set goals. If you want to achieve your goals then there are a number of simple rules to follow.
Write them down! Only 5 % of the population writes down their goals! Take a wild guess whether they achieve them or not? If you don’t set goals then at the end of next year you will find your no further forward than you are now at the end of 2004! Writing down your goals involves imagining or visualizing them. Don’t write them on scraps of A4 paper and then throw them in the bin! Get a little notebook you can carry in your pocket and refer to on a regular basis. This sounds crazy but you need a kick up the **** on a regular basis and referring to your goals will do just that!
Career Job Satisfaction - Get Off the Treadmill - Exit Your Rat Race!
May 24, 2008
Get Off the Treadmill - Exit Your Rat Race!
We can all get in a rut from time to time. Who hasn’t had a moment in their lives where you’ve asked yourself the question: "Why am I doing this?" Whether it’s who you’ve become, the business you are in, your career, relationships, where you live or all of the above - sometimes you realise you’re just not where you want to be ? and you’re not sure how you got there! It sure feels like your own version of a rat race though.
If where you want to be in your life is not where you are, then maybe it’s time for you to drop out of your very own rat race. We are conditioned into believing that we must continue to strive, to take more on, and to do more, in order to be "successful". But this is a limited and ultimately self-defeating definition. If we can only be more successful by what and how much we do, then we have created our own treadmills to run on.
Burger on a Bun Decision Making
May 24, 2008
When approaching any decision, it’s important for individuals to maintain the healthy state of openness called for by WYSINWYG (what you see is never what you get). Remember that there is always more going on than simply meets the eye. Calling on all the skills, strengths and resources that are accessible, though not immediately apparent will produce vastly better results. Secondly, individuals should strive for balance in both their data gathering and their decision-making. Many factors can influence a final decision, not the least of which is emotion. Strong emotion easily clouds the process and can result in extreme solutions. Sometimes extreme measures will be called for, but generally they are not. Decisions that weigh both objective and subjective data and strike an effective balance are likely to succeed. Finally: keep it simple. Begin with what you know. Reduce the complex to the direct. Set clear goals and implement straightforward plans. Whether making decisions as an individual or as a team, the three principles provide the foundation for creating effective solutions.
