Arent Small Businesses Lucky?
February 28, 2010
Why? Because they have access to world class public relations no matter how small they are.
That’s one way of saying, take care of your key target audiences, Mr/Ms small business owner, and they’ll take care of you.
What’s that based on? Why the fundamental premise of public relations, of course.
“We know that people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. So, when we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished.”
And here’s the first step towards putting that “magic” to work for your small business. Look closely at those outside audiences whose behaviors actually help or hinder your particular business. Decide which is your KEY target audience and concentrate on it for starters.
Next, mix in with members of that audience - we call it a “public” - ask questions and clearly monitor the answers. Anybody have a problem with your business? Notice any inaccurate perceptions or mistaken beliefs about your products or services? Are there misconceptions about your business involving pricing or quality? Do you see any kind of problems brewing down the line?
Getting Your Services Used
February 28, 2010
Every day I talk with professional service providers who do great work, have a valuable service that really helps people?and struggle to get their services used as much as they’d like.
They get a lukewarm response after an initial conversation while networking, the referrals come in but don’t convert to real business as often as they’d like, and they can’t seem to get prospects to see them as that much better than other professionals offering similar services.
Or they may get some attention from prospects as a result of an ad, published article, or speech?but then the early attention kind of fizzles into phone tag and no real client, in the end.
So what’s the problem? In most cases, they’re not getting far enough with the prospect to reveal the quality of their work?so it’s not about their professional work. And some professionals DO have decent positioning and credibility-building things in place like client testimonials and case studies on their websites (although the latter — done effectively ? is rare, unfortunately).
How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur on the Web
February 27, 2010
Becoming a successful entrepreneur in the online world is no different than becoming a successful entrepreneur in the brick-and-mortar world. Both tasks require vision, determination, and hard work.
The online world of the web offers many exciting opportunities for entrepreneurship because it is fresh, new, and exciting. The cutting edge of development has always been the most fertile ground for growing a new enterprise. In the 1800’s, the new frontier was the American west and many fortunes were made there. In the 2000’s, the new frontier is the web, where many fortunes have yet to be made.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com is worth 4.85 billion dollars. Pierre Omidyar of eBay is worth just over seven billion dollars. David Filo and Jerry Yang of Yahoo are both billionaires. These men made fortunes on the web, and so can you.
The path to becoming a successful online entrepreneur has changed in the last few years. The over-optimism which characterized the late ’90s and ultimately led to the subsequent crash in the technology sector has matured into a cautious and reasonable optimism grounded in traditional business values.
The party is over; it’s time to get to work.
Are You Prepared for a Disaster?
February 26, 2010
Yesterday I look at my calendar and saw that my newsletter was on my calendar for today. I wondered what I would write about. By the end of the day, I had my topic. Back-up and Recovery System.
Are you prepared for a disaster? Around 2pm yesterday I looked up from my computer and saw a reflection of smoke. I knew right away someone’s home was on fire. Thinking it was one of the homes behind me I stepped out my patio door. It was the house right beside mine that had caught fire. I immediately went out front to find two members of the family in shock. I found out 911 had been called and no one else was at home. The fire department was there within moments and started fighting the fire. I, like a lot of my neighbors, stood outside and watched with sympathy as this single mother with five children lost everything they owned.
It always happens to somebody else, right? Not all the time. One minute my neighbor’s house was on fire, the next, a whole opened up in their attic and the most amazing ball of flames shot directly towards my house. It was at that time I realized that I could also lose my home. I went in, grabbed my purse and my dog and was back out in the driveway. As I stood there I realized I didn’t follow my plan.
“Double Your eBay Sales In 30 Days!”
February 25, 2010
“Double Your eBay Sales In 30 Days!”
by: Chuck Mullaney
First, and as important to your success as anything you learn here, is clearly understanding how eBay users find things to spend their money on.
No matter what type of buyer they are, no matter where they come from, they all use the same tool to find auction ads;
“They use the search bar to type in general terms..!”
Very rarely do buyers check the “Search Title and Description” checkbox and start browsing the more specific results. Heck; the checkbox isn’t even an option on the front page of eBay, you actually have to do an “Advanced Search” to even have that option. This just confirms the importance of your title keywords.
Some do browse categories rather than search, but we’re mainly concerned with general majorities here, not exceptions to the rule.
In case you’re unaware, this means that most searches are ONLY CHECKING YOUR TITLE, not the words in the description area of your ad!!!
Experience tells me that, since you now know this, you are actually way ahead of 70% of the other eBay sellers out there; and that’s a very conservative estimate..!
Like Brushing Your Teeth
February 24, 2010
What do the following things have in common: brushing your teeth, regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, paying your bills on time, cleaning your gutters, spending quality time with your spouse and kids??
They’re all forms of regular "self-care" that, if you neglect them for a period of time or take the wrong approach, there will be costly negative consequences.
The same goes for marketing.
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?
? Your phone does not ring regularly with new prospects.
? You don’t regularly hear, "Hey, I’ve heard of your company!"
? Your sales pipeline is dry, so you go to some networking events, get some leads, then stop.
? People don’t respond quickly to meet or talk with you after an initial introduction through networking.
? The leads you do get trickle in slowly.
? You spend a lot of time looking for opportunities, but aren’t getting the results you want.
? You can’t safely project your firm’s income for the next 6 to 12 months.
? You’re finding it hard to attract and retain top talent, even in a recently tough economy.
How To Go Perpendicular In Your Sales Territory
February 23, 2010
First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have what it takes to do what it takes?"
1. Did you achieve all of your personal goals in 2004?
2. Did you achieve all of your professional goals in 2004?
3. Did you have double-digit sales growth in 2004?
4. Are you expecting to achieve double-digit growth during 2005?
5. If not why not? (You’ll need some QUIETIME for this one)
If the skills you used during 2004 weren’t sufficient to enable you to over achieve your sales plan what makes you think last year’s selling skills will enable you to achieve your sales plan during 2005?
What’s needed is some radical thinking - let me explain. One of the best ways to outfox the competition is to stop thinking like them. For example, you might want to consider Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506) as a role model. Back in those days - sailors sailed close to the coastline. Rumor has it that the deck hands on those early ships used to panic whenever they lost sight of the coastline. Naturally they feared for their lives because they believed, they all believed that the world was flat.
Living Trusts: Do They Protect Your Assets From Creditors?
February 23, 2010
A surprising number of readers want to know “Can a living trust protect my family’s assets from creditors and lawsuits?”
I think there are some promoters out there that use this as a pitch to get people to set up a living trust using their services:
“Transfer your assets to a living trust and hide them from your creditors,” are the claims.
Sorry, that’s not the law.
Let’s have a quick review of a revocable living trust. Basically a trust is “a legal arrangement where property is held for the benefit of someone.” In other words, you “entrust” title to your assets to “someone” who is instructed to use and manage those assets per the terms of the trust document.
A trust is revocable if it contains language that allows you to change your mind and terminate or modify it. In California, the Probate Code specifically states that all trusts are revocable, unless specifically stated otherwise.
A trust is called a “living” trust because it is set up by you while you are living. If you set up a trust through your will, it’s called a “testamentary” trust since it is created through your last will and testament.
Measuring Value for a Networking Group
February 22, 2010
How do you measure a group’s worth to your organization?
It is sometimes necessary to measure the value of a group. You may be asking yourself why you would want to measure the value of a group whose purpose is business. You would want to measure the price of membership vs. the business you will get out of the group through either referrals or direct business with members. There are several ways that the measurement can be taken. First, you will need to assess the current membership. You should develop a scale of 1 to 10 and give each member a rating based on a set of predefined criteria. What criteria should you use? That will depend entirely on your goals for belonging to the group. For example, if you are selling services for repairing computers, you may rate members by the number of computers they have at the workplace, and you may also add a factor for who they are currently using on the servicing side. It is best to define at least 3 criteria for a sampling of the members. You will not want to measure every member, but a small cross-section will do. Second, you should measure the amount of business each member (or a sample of members) has received by joining the group. You may also want to know how much business they do with other group members as well.
Should You Telework/Telecommute
February 21, 2010
“WOW! I can work from home and make money? I can sit around in my PJ’s and work whenever I want? How great, I want to be a Teleworker!”
There is much more to being a teleworker then working in your PJ’s or working when you want to. Yes, those are nice benefits to teleworking, but you’d be surprised by how much work goes into working from home. You usually have to work 10 times harder and longer then in your traditional job outside the home.
When I first started teleworking years ago I thought, “How hard could this be?” well was I in for a surprise! I found I wasn’t as motivated as I thought I would be. It was really hard for me to get up on time, get something to eat, and go to my “office” to start my day. And once I did begin I had to force myself to sit there and work for at least 3 hours at a time before I took a break. I couldn’t believe how different it was and how hard it was. Yes, it was very rewarding to work from my home, but it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I thought, from all the ads I’d seen online, that working would be a breeze.
