Selling Strategy - 5 Ways To Success
August 31, 2009
Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is to provide information. The second is to sell. If your purpose for being online is to sell products or services, but you don’t have tons of sales experience to fall back on, this article is for you!
Selling is not some mysterious process that happens in smoke filled rooms or some gift you are born with. At it’s core, selling is really finding out what people want and providing a way for them to get it. And you must take the buyer through a certain logical order before they will buy.
Like almost any other skill, selling can be learned. Today we look at the five basic steps of a sale. After you finish reading today’s article take a close look at your website, selling letters, ad copy and more to see if they take the buyer through these five steps. If not, take steps to make your copy stronger and measure the results.
After going through this ‘fine-tuning’ process a few times you will have a web site that consistently makes sales and creates a reliable income for you. Now, the five steps of the sale.
Hiring A Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Business Grow
August 30, 2009
Are you a home or small business owner and you’re Webmaster, receptionist, and assistant all in one, but you’ve found that there isn’t enough time in the day to complete all of these administrative tasks? A "Virtual Assistant" could be your answer.
In today’s tough economical times it’s hard to think of hiring someone else to assist you, but it may be more cost effective than you think. You are probably spending more time on projects, sending out correspondence, bookkeeping and many other tasks that an assistant could do. Don’t have the space in your office or want to deal with payroll taxes? Then hire a "Virtual Assistant".
A Virtual Assistant only works when it is necessary. In other words, you only pay when there is work to be done. You might need someone to send out your monthly newsletter, do some research for the book you’re writing, keep your schedule/calendar, bill your clients or maybe it’s all of the above. With today’s technology she or he can live anywhere, so you do not need to provide office space or equipment. Taxes, social security, and benefits won’t be a worry for you because your VA is working for herself.
Autoresponders Aren’t Only For Marketing
August 29, 2009
Autoresponders Aren’t Only For Marketing
by: Vera Raposo
The autoresponder is probably the best thing that ever happened for marketing. But here’s another way you can use your autoresponder and it’s a great way to further justify the monthly payments if you’re paying one. Many of us find it difficult to remember dates, or if you’ve bought a great home study course to stay with it or just plain motivation. I know personally I’ve wished for a personal assistant and while nothing can replace live help and a savvy assistant, you can use an autoresponder to help you over when you can’t afford an assistant e.g. or for more personal stuff.
URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success
August 28, 2009
Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.
I know many of you are going to think this is common sense, but how many of these are you using? Your web address should be on every piece of anything your business does, period.
Your customers can come from anywhere, at anytime. Yep, the airport at 3:32 a.m., or how about the car behind you?
Below is a list of some of the obvious and the not so obvious places you should be advertising your website. Some of them cost you nothing, most of them cost you very little. Do you want more customers than your competitors? Then put yourself ‘out there’ - more than your competition! You’ll be surprised at how much traffic you can directly generate.
Hopefully you are using all of this first set…
* Invoices - Make sure, or get it on your next re-order.
* Statements - Another one, get it printed!
* Business Cards - Every card should have the website address and appropriate e-mail address. Letterhead - Right after your address should be your web address.
* Envelopes - This all goes to Branding effectively and getting people to your site.
In Sales The Biggest Rolodex Wins
August 27, 2009
How many names do you have in your business Rolodex? ______
If you respond the way most salespeople do ? you’ll estimate 200, 400, 700, 1,000 etc.
Remember this, if your answer ended with a zero ? you don’t really know, do you?
Your Rolodex, or contact management system, is one of your most important business assets. Not using it properly is a huge mistake and a big liability for you.
Here are several ways to build your Rolodex.
1. First, get rid of your paper planners. This is 2004. Invest in an account management or data base management software. Check out ACT or File Maker Pro.
2. While you’re getting rid of your paper planners you may want to invest in a good PDA like Palm or one of their competitors.
3. Don’t treat anyone anonymously. Today’s assistant could be tomorrow’s decision-maker.
4. When adding contact information be sure you get all of it including:
NameCompany NameStreet AddressCity, State ZIPTelephone number + extensionVoice mail number Fax numberE-mail addressWeb site
Special interests
Once you begin to build your data base (Rolodex) use it to promote your company, your products, and yourself. The more your customers and prospects hear from you the more they’ll buy from you.
Focus Leads To Nonprofit Success: Is Your Organization Rowing or Drifting
August 27, 2009
Picture yourself standing on the bank of a river watching a rowing competition. Carefully watch the crews. Crewmembers dip the oars and bring them to the surface again and again in a carefully orchestrated rhythm. Crewmembers are working together to realize their common vision of a first place finish. Every team member is clear about the mission - complete the race in the fastest time.
Everyone is working hard to pull in the same direction at the same time. They are focused on the desired end results.
Now picture a nonprofit organization coping with increased competition. Funding is a constant struggle. Conversations with board members and staff paint a picture of people operating with different definitions of the purpose and future of the organization. The organization is adrift.
Is your organization rowing or drifting?
Organizations that are drifting suffer from three common problems. Staff and board members develop programs, services or products based on their own version of the organization’s mission; it is hard to identify the underlying strategies and the core programs. In addition, staff and board members chase dollars to support activities. Finally, staff and board members have no standard upon which to base decisions. At times, one option seems as good as another.
Real Estate Investing - Writing Killer Postcards to Attract Motivated Sellers!
August 26, 2009
So many of you have been telling us that you’re ready to get started investing, but “you can’t find any deals! and what are the steps and secrets to finding great deals?” Some of you have even written asking us if there still ARE any deals left? OF COURSE there are! We find them all the time. But you ain’t gonna find them looking at for-sale ads in the paper, for-sale signs in the yard, or by concentrating solely on short sales, foreclosures, REOs and agent-listed properties.
You need to dig out the motivated sellers from under the rocks where they hide, and get THEM to call YOU!! Imagine how stress-free and easy it is to earn a huge income when real, genuine motivated sellers call you and you can pick the best deals out of your calls. It really is like shooting ducks in a barrel.
Alright-enough already! Now you’re wondering : how can you get those same motivated sellers out from under a rock, and calling you too? The secret is in a multi-step campaign, and one of the important steps is using direct mail, meaning postcards or letters that make the motivated sellers pick up their phone and call you.
Job Search Techniques: Smashing The Gray Ceiling
August 25, 2009
For decades, women have chaffed at the invisible glass ceiling which prevents their moving into the high executive brackets that their competence, knowledge and skills have earned. The same amorphous barrier confronts older workers both in terms of advancement within a company and, most especially, when a job change is required. There is an adage in the military that if a rank above major has not been obtained within twenty years, it never will be. The ranks of early military retirees are sprinkled with majors who knew that ten or fifteen more years would never bring a Colonel’s cluster.
How can such “unwritten rules” be fought? No lawsuit can prove that you were the best individual for the job. No employer is unintelligent enough to state that your age is the stumbling block. You sense the discrimination, you become aware of the sideways glances and the emotional response of an interviewer, but you feel powerless to change their perspective and their bias.
Sitting across an interviewing desk, often facing an individual the same age as your son, your esteem erodes and your confidence self-destructs. Impotent, humiliated, and angry, you accept that nothing you can say is going to change anything. You continue job hunting with a mounting sense of frustration and an indisputable anticipation of failure.
Telecom Data Systems, President
August 24, 2009
Telecom Data Systems, President
by: Marvin Mitchell
History has proven that gold provides excellent investment opportunities during times of inflation, political unrest, and economic uncertainty. With terrorism on the rise, record oil prices, and an ever increasing Federal deficit, we believe the price of gold will explode in the near future.
Many wealthy individuals and large corporations seem to agree with our assessment. We’ve noticed a large number of institutional investors purchasing gold and other precious metals. To benefit from this trend, we do not need to be privy to everything they know - but for simplicity sake, we may want to imitate the things they are doing.
Today, I am urging all our members, customers, and partners to consider opening an e-gold account. Since e-gold is backed 100% by gold bullion, buying e-gold is like buying physical gold, but easier.
A couple of years ago, I opened an e-gold account with some of the funds from my Self-Directed IRA account. I can honestly say the return-on-investment (ROI) has far exceeded any amount expected. My only regrets are I did not open the account sooner and with more money.
Network Your Way to Success- 12 Tips to Jumpstart Your Business
August 23, 2009
Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential when it comes to networking. Here are some tips 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. Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerilla Marketing stated, "I hate to admit this, but mediocre marketing with commitment works better than brilliant marketing without commitment."
3- Know & Clarify WIIFT- When creating your introduction clarify who your target market is and "what’s in it for them". Sell benefits. Verizon sells wireless phone service but sells it when you believe they never stop working to fill your phone service needs. “Can you hear me now?”
4- Get Involved- Getting involved puts you in a consistent position of visibility.
