Category: entrepreneur

Email Promotions

Opt-in email marketing works with any business model, you can make money following some key rules. When you have someone’s email address, they are practically inviting you to come sell them something. They want to hear from you, hear the updated news; they want to receive your information. This means lifetime valuable relationships with customers who are interested in what you have to say. You can see the results of the email you have just sent out within hours, which means no wasted advertising dollars, you know what works and what doesn’t, simple as that. Opt-in email marketing is not only effective and instantaneous, but free.

You can utilize opt-in email marketing if you already have an online business, or an offline business, or no business at all. For offline business, collect email addresses from your clients and send them an occasional email with a discount and watch the appointment book get filled up quickly. Drive qualified buyers to your web site by sending your customers a free report or newsletter subscription which entices them to buy the full version. So, what if you do not have a business at all. Everyone has an interest that they are passionate about, whether it is yoga, or fishing. Start writing information packed newsletter about your favorite topic and recommend other people’s products or services for a commission on any sales you send them. Post your free newsletter offer on online newsgroups, or other newsletters. You will get a lot of subscribers because it is free.

Best of all, there are thousands of companies willing to pay you to sell their products on your newsletter. Here are a few websites to check out to find those companies:

www.affiliateguide.com
www.associateprograms.com
www.affiliatematch.com

You will earn commissions every time one of your newsletter subscribers buys a product from the company.

THE SECRETS OF INTERNET AND ONLINE MARKETING

You probably already use the Online World for many things.
Whether you use it for entertainment, research, sending E-mail
to friends and family, or just discussing numerous subject
topics with others.

Of all the things you can do online, there is one that you
should definitely know how to do. MARKET A BUSINESS ONLINE!

That’s right, with the power of the Online World to reach
millions of people, Online Marketing is definitely an awesome
tool that no business should be without. The simple fact that advertising is practically FREE. The ability to get the results of thousands of dollars in free publicity is practically unheard of in business today. Only recently have more and more people figured out how to utilize the ever exploding Online World to market their business efforts.

Think about it, there is probably no business in existence that
could not benefit from free publicity! And the fact that
properly utilizing free advertising raises net profits to
unbelievable levels! Using any or all of the major online
services, or the INTERNET, can help you market your business
efforts.

Let’s start with plain-old advertising. On America Online, for
example, they will let you place classified advertisements for
FREE! They have a variety of classifications to choose from. By
placing these small free ads you can generate some very quality
leads that can turn into sales. Or if you are a really good
marketer you could sell something straight from your free ad.
Wouldn’t that be something, using the actual free ad to do all
of the selling.

The other services offer free advertising from time to time.
When they do charge for classified ads it is usually very
inexpensive, and still a great deal considering how many people
those ads can reach. When you place any advertisements you
should always “code” your ads. This means put something in each
individual ad that will tell you, if you get any business from
it, which ad it came from. This way, you will probably find
that some sections are better producers than others, and you
will want to concentrate on these sections and not the ones that
weren’t making any money.

To code an ad you could make them request a certain “report” for
more information. You should give each report a different code
for each ad. Such as: “ask for report #1tv” , this way you
would know that this request came from the ad on television,
for sale category, and so forth. If they send you an order
straight from the ad, make them give you an order #, which would
be different for each ad. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE ADVERTISING ONLINE ARE NOT USING THESE AD CODES!!!
THIS IS A MAJOR MARKETING MISTAKE!!!

By not tracking exactly which ads are making money, they are
wasting their time by continually placing ads in “loser”
categories. The actual code can be anything you want to assign
to it. ALWAYS keep track of every ad you place. Make a note of
what it said, where and when it was placed. You will be
pleasantly surprised when you analyze your “ad data” and see
some positive trends developing. Just repeat these trends and
it will help you to make more money!

How would you like to find a name list of several hundred (or
even thousand) people who might be interested in the particular
product or service you are selling based on their jobs or
interests? Wouldn’t that be great!? Well, you can! And the
Online Services supply this service as a part of your regular
membership.

This little unknown tool is called the “Member Directory!” You
can do searches in the directory for other users with certain
characteristics. For example, if you were selling fishing
equipment, you could do a search by “fishing.” All of the people
that were registered in the directory and had listed fishing as
one of their hobbies would show up on that search list. You
could now send each one of those people an e-mail message
telling them about your product or service, it’s just like using
a mailing list, but you have no postage! (*Make sure you check
with your Online service to see if they allow unsolicited
E-mail.)

You can also get the names of several prospects by doing some
“browsing” in the different topic forums. Using the earlier
example of looking for people who fish, you could look under
sports until you found a discussion on fishing. You could then
take note of the users’ names that were participating in the
discussions. You could do the same thing on the INTERNET with
one of the many newsgroup topics that they have.

The bottom line is that you “test” and record the results of
your Online Marketing efforts. Then just repeat the steps that
are making you money and expand on them to reach more people.

Doing simple research on the Internet. The Internet has several
mailing lists that are dedicated to marketing on the Internet.
You will also find hundreds of articles on the World Wide Web.
By searching one of the WWW search engines like Webcrawler you
can find all the information you can read. Use search strings
such as: “online marketing”, “internet advertising”, “selling
online”, and so on.

You can also find many books on the subject at your local
bookstore or being advertised online.

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DO ‘S AND DON’TS OF WRITING CLASSIFIED ADS

DO WRITE OUT ALL DETAILS in your ad offer. Read it, edit it,
and re-write it for a shorter, money saving effective ad.
“Think small”.

DO FOLLOW ALL THE RULES when writing your classified ad. Use
these ideas.

Attention Interest Desire Action

DO USE A NAME with each classified ad including your envelopes.

DO NOT CHARGE for sales letters or circulars.

DO BE HONEST with all your classified ad claims.

DO IDENTIFY your product.

DO WRITE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD simple, clear and direct.

DO USE WORDS EVERYONE KNOWS and everyone will understand what
your are saying.

DO USE A WORD that will benefit a reader.

DO NOT OVERPRICE your product.

DO ADVERTISE FREQUENTLY. Constant exposure creates a familiar
offer with better response.

DO OFFER A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE in your classified ad,
salesletter or circular if possible. An excellent sales
technique!

DO TEST YOUR AD in 2 or 3 smaller, low cost publications.
Record results. Code each ad.

DO READ PUBLICATIONS that relate to your product. Write for ad
rates, paid circulation, discounts and closing dates. Keep
records.

DO HAVE ALL YOUR LITERATURE AND PRODUCTS ready for mailing when
your ad appears in the publication of your choice. Do not delay
in responding.

DO USE THE COPYCAT METHOD. Do what other successful advertisers
are doing. Only with a slight twist, idea or offer.

DO RUN SEVERAL ADS worded differently. Keep records of results.

DON’T OVER ADVERTISE. It can be expensive. If you want to, do
it gradually.

DON’T PRETEND YOU KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS. Because you don’t.
Take time to find out what you need to know.

DON’T TRUST YOUR MEMORY. A thought will leave you as quickly as
it came. Always write down a good idea. NOW!

DON’T PLACE YOUR AD in the wrong classification.

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY on ad words to amuse or entertain, but
use words to persuade, inform and sell your product.

DO USE A SHORT BUSINESS NAME. Make it easy to pronounce and
remember.

DON’T FORGET THE M.E.D.I.C.S. Motivation. Enthusiasm. Desire.
Image. Creativity. Success!

DON’T GIVE UP. If your ad doesn’t pull after a fair exposure,
try re-writing it. One or two different words may do the trick.

DON’T SPEND THE PROFITS. Re-invest the money in more continuous
advertising.

DON’T FORGET, an ad that offers “FREE DETAILS” means writing a
sales letter or circular.

AVOID HIGH TYPESETTING COSTS AND MISTAKES

Getting your price lists, brochures, catalogs or newsletters
typeset does not necessarily have to be a costly procedure.
Keep in mind that the main cost in typesetting is the time
involved in setting type. By minimizing the time needed to
create a typeset piece you can effectively keep your cost down.
The following suggestions can help reduce your typesetting
expense.

Know what you want the FIRST time around. Have a picture in
your mind. Trial and error can be costly. Don’t have a
typesetter set it one way, then decide a different format would
look better.

Reduce and eliminate author’s corrections by thorough proofing
and re-proofing.

Avoid minimum charges by combining small jobs and having them
set at the same time.

Try to use one family of type to save time and money by avoiding
font changes. The consistent look is better.

Give explicit instructions on marking up copy: type styles,
column widths/margins.

With a large job, such as a brochure or annual report, request a
style setting proof sheet to get approvals before the entire job
is done.

Avoid super rush jobs, especially if you don’t really need them.

Avoid lengthy corrections on the phone. You might end up paying
for corrections later that could have been avoided if you had
done your editing on proof sheets.

Get the layout finished and approved before having type set…
the same goes for copy, of course.

Avoid the use of “run-arounds” (reducing the width of the copy
to make room for a photo in the column, for example). If you do
use them, use simple shapes, boxes, squares.

Avoid the use of curved or angular type. Type reading left to
right on a page (for example, this report) is faster and less
expensive to set than copy that is set in a curve or running
sideways on the page.

The use of unjustified text and captions is less expensive than
justified because it sets quicker, costing less time.

Don’t depend on the typesetter to read your mind. Be specific.
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CLASSIFIED & DISPLAY ADVERTISING 101

Advertising isn’t hard to do. You prepare an advertisement or write a
classified ad to sell your product or generate interest to send people more
information. But the way most people make mistakes is either by their
inability to write effective ad copy and by sending it to be published in
the wrong publication. Here are some pointers to follow:

Writing Effective Copy
Never try to sell anything costing more than $5 in a small display ad or a
classified ad. First of all, you don’t have enough room to tell people
everything they need to know to entice them to order.

Instead, you need to employ the “Two-Step” method of advertising. Request
the reader to send you $1 or 4 first-class postage stamps for more
information. When they respond, you will send them a brochure, flyer, order
form and cover letter so they can place an order for the real product.

Now that pricing is out of the way lets talk about writing your ad copy.
The best way to learn how is to read the ads other people have written.
Don’t copy them word-for-word, but use them as a guide to write your own ads.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be writing effective ad copy just as well as the pros.

Advertising in the Right Publication. Although this may sound a little
silly and you think it is only common sense to know this – people will often
overlook this fact when choosing the publication they will be advertising in.
Instead, they will look for the lowest price for the amount of circulation
they receive. Unfortunately, this does not work out. Even though you need
to look for good deals that make it easy on your pocketbook, you will be
throwing money away if you don’t pre-qualify the publication you choose.

One way of pre-qualifying the publication is to send for a sample copy.
Most publishers will send them to you free of charge for the asking. If you
don’t know of any mail order publications, just write to Glenn Bridgeman,
PO Box 10150, Terra Bella CA 93270 or William Lee, Rt 1, Box 10790,
Madisonville TN 37354 and ask them to send you some. (Be sure to enclose
$1 or 4 first-class postage stamps in with your request to offset postage
costs.) If you tell them you are new to mail order and are interested in
publications to advertise in, you certainly will find the $1 you spent is
well worth the effort because both of these publishers are very reputable,
honest and helpful.

Study the publication to see what other people are advertising and how they
are advertising it. Contact some of the people who sell items similar to your
own with the hope of networking with them. You would be surprised how much
free publicity you can get just from corresponding, calling and networking
with others.

Once you locate a publication you want to advertise in, give it a try for
3 months. If you don’t get any response or only a few orders, try another
publication. There are millions of them and eventually you will hit the right
target market that will be interested in what you have to sell.

Don’t Stop With One Publication. Just because you locate the target market
of people who are interested in purchasing your product there is no reason
you can’t advertise in more than one publication. In fact – if you don’t,
your ad will become stale. If the same people continue to see your ad every
month they will probably get tired of looking at it. Besides, if they wanted
the product they would have ordered it by now. Don’t tire them out! Alternate
different size ads and get rid of ones that don’t work well.

Leave your ad running as long as it brings in orders for you but also
advertise in 5, 10, 20 or 50 other publications also to generate a steady
stream of orders and to reach more people.

Key Your Ads. Many beginners in mail order never key their ads so they
know what publication people saw their ads in. In fact, I personally never
did this myself and ended up losing a lot of money. So please don’t make the
same mistake I did. Keying your ads means that you place a code of some sort
in your address so that when people write and order something from you, you
immediately will know where they saw your ad. Keep a record of every name
and address of the publisher you send an advertisement to. Record the date
you sent the ad and the date you received a checking copy, proving that your
ad appeared. Also record the “code” you used so you can immediately identify
where it came from.

If your address is “123 Anytown St,” it could become “123 Anytown St,
Suite A” for one publication and “Suite B” for another. The postman will
still deliver your mail to “123 Anytown St.” Of course, if you live in an
apartment complex and there are apartment numbers you could turn “111 Johnson
Apt A” into “111 Johnson, Apt A-1” for one publication and “Apt A-2” for
another. Post office box addresses are also simple. Turn “PO Box 585” into
“PO Box 585, Dept A-1” for one publication and “Dept A-2” for another.

People will sometimes even change their name on the ad for keying purposes.
You might see the name “Harriet’s Recipe Book” instead of Harriet Ranger.
Harriet might also use “Harriet’s Cookbook” or even “Harriet’s Solution to
Stress” on her ads relating to these products. Use your own imagination and
pretty soon, keying your ads will be a normal part of your life.
Be sure and keep track (on your Record Sheet) of how many responses you
receive from each publication. After 3 months, look over your Record Sheet
and get rid of the publications that didn’t do well. You’ll go broke if you
spend $10 per month advertising a 2-inch ad if you only receive $1 back in
orders. After awhile you’ll be able to see where it pays you to advertise
your particular product and then you can send in larger ads to those
publications. Never stop using this method and you’ll never stop getting
orders in your mailbox. It’s a win-win situation for everybody!

Tabloids -vs- Adsheets. Another question about advertising that many people
have is whether its better to advertise in tabloids or adsheets. Many people
will sell you information on the best day to mail and the best time of the
year to advertise. They think they have it down to a science and will
convince you of their methods.
However, there is NO set rules that can be employed by everyone. That’s
because there are a wide variety of ways to approach various products. If
you sell travel services and read a report that told you not to advertise
during the summer months, you’d go broke. The summer is the travel industry’s
biggest money-making season!

Don’t get hung up on specific statistics made by people who claim to be
expert researchers. There is no way to determine what is best for you than
to try it yourself and see what works. You are the person in control of your
business and you are where the buck stops. Take advantage of your authority
and try every angle you can think of until you determine what’s best for your
company’s product and/or service.

Tabloids are a fantastic advertising vehicle and adsheets are too. Sometimes
people feel a small 1″ camera-ready ad gets lost in a tabloid filled with
100’s of them. This may be true in some circumstances and not true in others.
Do you look at 1″ ads in tabloids? Of course you do. You scan the pages and
your eye is always directed to one or two on the page that catches your eye.
Ask yourself “why” they caught your eye. Was it because the ad was placed in
a specific area on the page? Was it because of the headline or the word
“free”?

Classifieds work well in tabloids and adsheets and sometimes they don’t,
Look in the back of the Globe or Enquirer. Don’t they have page after page
of classified ads? If nobody was reading them and responding to them, the
advertisers wouldn’t be submitting advertising to the Globe or Enquirer for
them. So evidently, people DO read classified ads – even if there are 100’s
of them. Test the waters and do what works the best for you.
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Gas Prices Got Your Bottom Line?

If youre a small business or entrepreneur you can bet your bottom dollar that the high gas prices are affecting you. It probably will be your bottom dollar too!

Regardless of what the politicians are telling us, and regardless whether you deliver your products to the client or not the price of fuel is affecting you. Its affecting your business because its affecting the consumer your consumers.

In a recent survey done by the National Retail Federation they state, Whether gas prices pose a fiscal or psychological concern consumers are affected regardless of income.

Some interesting stats show that from the number of adults nationwide16.4% delayed a major purchase such as cars, TV, or furniture. Dining out has been reduced by 25.2%, 31.2% decreased vacation travel plans, 17.3% are spending less on groceries, and 23.7% are spending less on clothing.

That equates to the fact that restaurants, travel agencies, motel/hotels, car dealers, furniture stores, and retail clothing stores are all going to be affected by gas prices. If any one of those listed is the business youre doing, then your bottom line of profits is definitely affected. The interesting part of all that is that it didnt matter if those polled were in the $50K+ income bracket or less than $50K, the results were the same.

The only distinction seemed to be that adults in the age bracket of 45-54 years of age had the highest percentages but with the same outcome. For instance of the 25.2% of adults that reduced dining out, 28.6% of them were in that age bracket, and so on down the line. The survey also noted that 70% of the consumers of that age group were impacted by higher gas prices.

As you might have guessed, when these survey figures were broken down by region the West was higher in all categories than the NE, Mid-West, or Southern regions. Still only 5.7% of us have increased carpooling.

Its a fact, whether we like it or not, that every penny spent on gasoline is a penny kept from retailers. Looking beyond just the retail industry, what about the service business. The cost of doing business for a repairman is going to increase as the expense for gasoline increases, and ultimately his prices will reflect that increase. It doesnt matter whether hes doing electrical, roofing, renovating, plumbing, whatever service drives up to your home is going to cost more in the long run.

Ultimately, as the domino effect goes into play, those who can least afford price increases will be the hardest hit. Seniors and retirees on fixed incomes just have to suck it up and bear the price increases. As the survey pollsters have said income levels didnt vary results of choices, it still varies the ability to handle the domino effects. If income remains stationery but prices rise, theres definitely an affect on those with fixed incomes.

For the entrepreneur to overcome the situation it requires some really extreme methods. Following are some tips to keep your expenses down:

Order supplies online, anticipating a price increase, and have them delivered to you.
Research your competitors online and save the gas.
Group doing an errand or two when theyre in the vicinity of a scheduled client meeting.
Do more of your business by mail, email, or on the internet. You can do just about anything from paying a vendor to transferring funds from one bank account to another on the internet, and you dont use any gas. The only time you have to go to the bank is to make a deposit.
If you conduct business at Trade Shows and have to travel find ways to cut corners. Carpool to the airport with a colleague or even a nearby competitor. (Youre both going to be doing business at the same show anyway.) Perhaps, you can combine two trips with only one return home after the second trip. Perhaps putting an ad in the Trade Show program can save you making a trip. (You could use that plan for the less important trade show.)
Consider whether media advertising for your business would be cheaper than what youve been doing in person considering gas prices.

Thats just a few ideas to get those little gray cells working. After all, as an entrepreneur youve done marketing on a shoestring before. Im sure you can come up with at least ten more ideas than Ive given you. You might also want to check out the web site:  HYPERLINK “http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?=(put”
http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?=(put in your zip code)

At that site you can find the cheapest gas prices in your area. Id venture to say that these rankings change daily, so check it out when you need gas.

 
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Good Companies Grow No Matter What

Every business demands growth, and double-digit growth is the dream of every dedicated business owner, even when lackluster results show up at quarters end.

Most entrepreneurial business owners need a guide to navigate their way toward substantial, sustainable growth. It can be done even in a slow economy as demonstrated by such companies as Harley Davidson, Starbucks, and WalMart. Even smaller companies such as Paychex and Oshkosh Truck have been able to make gains in revenue, gross profits and net profits.

Here are 5 disciplines of sustained growth:

Retain Your Customer Base: Keep the growth that you have already earned by coaxing customers into complex relationships that make it a hassle for them to switch to your competitor. Tailor your products/services using data gleaned from your customers giving you an advantage. Proactively managing customer defections will help you anticipate and pre-empt them. Bonding with customers wherever emotion is tied to an interaction is another great way to retain them.

Gain Market Share at the Expense of Your Rivals: Give customers a reason to abandon a competitors product/service for yours. Do what it takes to lower the switching costs. Pulling customers away from a competitor can be difficult, so you must devote many resources to raiding their customer base. Offering higher value and quality are crucial to this end. Buying a competitor is another way to do this.

Exploit Market Position: Show up where growth is going to happen by spotting it early. This can be done by watching the industry for shifts in buying criteria, product or service innovations, and population trends. You must be able to spot positioning opportunities to make the most of them by continually using a systematic approach to the process.

Invade Adjacent Markets: Before moving into a nearby market, decide whether it offers significant long-term growth and profitability. Determine whether you have an advantage over a competitor, and ensure you can match its standards of quality and value.

Invest In New Lines of Business: If you take this approach, never overpay for a new line. You must find simple strategies instead of complex ones, and partner with the new business by assessing its leadership team and balance sheet.

Although a successful growth portfolio might not include all five of these disciplines, it must contain more than one. Only a balanced growth portfolio can keep an organization growing when the market shifts dramatically.

In closing I wish a happy and safe Memorial Day to all my entrepreneurial buddies and readers. Drive carefully!


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Dispelling 8 Misconceptions of Organization

Some people were born organized and then there are those of us who struggle with organizing every year at this time. It seems that its always at the end of the year when that little annoying bug begins nudging you to clear things up and start the new year organized.

Well, Ive read just about everybodys directions, books, and helpful hints about getting organized (in fact, Im thinking of writing one myself), and Ive got to tell you there are some misconceptions being fostered by every organizational guru. It will be my pleasure to give you the skinny on that in todays column.

Here are the 8 misconceptions that we can throw out:

Handle paper once. This is not only impossible, but in most cases its unrealistic. Instead of handling paper once, get in the habit of doing something with each piece of paper to move it forward. If you get some information about an upcoming seminar/trade show, for example, decide if youll attend or not. If youre to attend then note the date on your calendar and sign up. If not, then toss the information immediately. If you want to wait to sign up, then make a note in your planner to respond well before the deadline and file the paper in your to-do file.
Always keep papers stored out of sight: Some of us work better when their desk is clear, whereas others feel stifled if they arent surrounded by stacks of paper. If youre an out of sight out of mind type, keep papers you use often nearby in files or stacking bins. Theyll be accessible, yet not clutter your desk. When working on a project, spread out the papers related to it, and when youre done put them away together in one place.
Everyone should be organized to the same degree. Different people work differently. Dont feel that you have to work the same as someone else. Find a comfortable level of being organized, and make the necessary changes to maintain that level. I usually draw that line when Im looking for something and cant find it; thats when I know things need to get reorganized.
Soon well be a paperless society. Dont you believe it. Experts have been saying that for years, and we wont be paperless for a long time. Its not technology thats the problem, it is human nature thats the culprit. Were creatures of habit and used to seeing things in print rather than on a computer screen. The younger generation is now being trained on computers at an early age, so when they join the workforce, the paperless society will have a better chance of becoming a reality.
One planning system should fit everyone. When used correctly, daily planners are an ideal way to stay organized. Keep in mind, however, they are designed by a few for many users. When buying a planner, whether paper-based or electronic, determine what you want it to do and choose a system accordingly. If you cant find one to suit your system, design your own based on your individual needs.
You have to be born organized to be organized. We learn both good and bad habits at an early age. Its possible to change any bad habit, including disorganization. Youngsters raised in an organized environment sometimes rebel as adults by being disorganized. The opposite is also true, but neither is carved in stone and behavior can be modified.
You MUST use a to-do list. Planning day-to-day is not realistic for everyone. Someone may do the same task every week, but others find their plans changing daily. Consider your particular need, then plan by the day or the week.
Being organized means being a perfectionist. A perfectionist may spend time on insignificant details while disregarding the big picture. When others complete a project quickly and on time, the perfectionist continues to work until the project is perfect. A perfectionist becomes more effective when he/she lowers his/her standards slightly and concentrates on ways to increase productivity.

Misinformation, when taken seriously, can hinder you from doing what you want. The next time you hear one of those Organizational Gurus espousing one of the above misconceptions, consider its value and work to develop your own style of organizing.


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MAKE YOUR OFFER IRRESISTABLE

Since youre selling to human beings wouldnt it be great to know the five secrets that have the greatest influence on your customers? What Im about to share with you will make you the Svengali of Sales in your niche. Im going to put them in the order of use in the marketing process, but they can overlap or be switched around to fit your situation.

What happens in nature when there is a vacuum? Right. There is an attempt to fill that void, and human nature also follows that law.

Filling the void When someone does a person a favor or gives them something of value for free, this act provides an imbalance in the relationship. This creates a subconscious pressure on the recipient to give back in some way. This is whats known in marketing as filling the void.

Reciprocation In marketing the word FREE has the most response of any word in the English language. Thats why marketers use it over, and over again. Everybody likes something for free, dont you? Even though free means there is no obligation or cost, the recipient does feel obligated. If something of real value is given to the person, an imbalance is created a void in nature that needs to be filled. Maybe not immediately, but if that person has gotten great value and use from the gift, there will be a nagging sub-conscious motivation to reciprocate in some manner.

Youll find that some people just dont seem to reciprocate, and it could be that they didnt appreciate the full value of your offer. This is why its so important to make sure when you are offering a free gift with a promotion, that your customers are made aware of the full value of what theyre receiving.

What really makes this work in marketing, though, is that you make your free offer available when your customer takes action. Now it can be a very small one like filling out a customer card for you (which gives you their name, address, and email address), or accepting your product on a 30-day trial.

Getting your customer to like you – Have you heard the phrase, if a customer knows, likes and trusts you then theyll buy from you. Well, youve gotten them to know you with your free offer, the next step is to get them to like you. The quickest way I know to get someone to like you is for you to let them know that you like them (reciprocation, again).

Now, not ALL people are going to like you and youre not going to like all your customers, but if you take this approach youve a lot better odds of finding customers.

When youre writing your ads and marketing letters always write as if they are a personal note to a real, live, breathing friend. Use plain talk as if youre talking to your best friend, and not hi-tech technobabble. Keep it simple!

Trust I dont know about you, but when I hear someone say TRUST ME it reminds me of a snake oil salesman and makes me do anything but trust them. So how do you get your customers to trust you? Take a leadership role with them and tell them what they should do to take action and buy. You must be or present yourself as an Authority figure. An expert in your field and the only one they should buy from as proven by the endorsements of your other customers, their friends and neighbors.

If your offer is made in a letter, than include some endorsements from others, mention articles written about you, books, articles, newsletters that youve written, etc. It is interesting that most people dont want to make a decision, and its better that you give them an action plan to say yes.

Scarcity This is one persuader that really motivates humans to action, and you must create and manage this to your advantage in every offer you make.

People want things that solve their problems or make them feel good about themselves that are of good quality. They want it even more if the quantity is limited in some way. Remember the law of supply and demand? If the demand for a product is high and the supply is low, then the price thats charged will be accepted readily be it high or low. (Sounds like buying gas for your car, doesnt it?)

Even if you create the perception that there is a limited quantity available, a limited time frame for availability, or whatever you conceive to use, youll find this a catalyst to action for your customer.

Of course, it goes without saying that you always include a guarantee of some kind in your offers. I always like the no questions asked type of guarantee for 30, 60, 90 days or even a full year if it fits for you. With this youre emphasizing your credibility (trust) by saying youre going to be around for a while. Ive found that most times there are very few takers to the guarantee policy you offer, and if there is you dont want to keep an unhappy customer anyway.

Be sure to include all five of these tips in all of your offers (ads, sales letters, presentations, etc.) and youll see dramatic results and an increase in your business.
 
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21st Century Business Women

When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could – by imitating men. Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today!

Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company’s full potential using a “command-and-control” style. The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there. Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:

1. Sell the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors. Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.
2. Reinvent the Rules: While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.
3. Achieve With A Laser Focus: Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders. Today’s business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.
4. Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era: When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner. Today’s business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch” which gives her a critical edge and separation from the “pack”.
5. Challenge or Opportunity? – Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using the “slash-and-burn” approach. They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.
6. A Customer Preference Obsession: In this information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”, businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do. There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands. Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.
7. Courage Under Fire: Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call situation. Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.

It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start their own business and succeed, but it’s even more difficult for a female entrepreneur. Let’s face it, ladies! We’ve always had to be twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate world. After all, if we can bear and raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare us?

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5 Tips For Identity Theft Protection

This is that time of year when we all start getting those emails that want to purloin our secret codes and passwords. You know the ones that have subject lines like: Your Account Is About To Be Closed, Theres A Block On Your Account, Could You Help Me Claim My Funds, or my all-time favorite Congratulations Youve Won The UK Lottery.

This is the time of year when we are all shopping for gifts for family or customers, and the last thing we need is for our bank or credit cards account to be hindered. That is exactly what these cyber grifters are counting on, and unfortunately some of us are tempted to follow the instructions sent to investigate.

First and foremost, DONT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link supplied in the phony email.

Ive had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery style. But, dont fall for the scam. In fact, dont even open the email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by being opened. Simply forward the suspicious email to the spoof email address supplied by your bank, or credit card company.

Nearly 10 million Americans fell prey to identity theft last year, costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars. Here are some other tips to help you:

Understand debit card dangers: Greater liability than credit cards. When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.
Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, theres no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.
Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil dumpster-diving thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.
Go virtual: For shopping online, there are virtual card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. Its linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use and its FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.
Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While youre at it, make copies of your drivers license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.

This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but if youre ever the victim of identity theft even just once youll realize that its well worth the effort.

Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry in our wallets or in our purses, were all John and Jane Does if we cant speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!


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