Successfully Marketing

5 Ways to Have a Sound Postcard Marketing

2009-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Postcards, if used wisely, can be a great marketing tool. It can transmit your business’ information by just hand transfer. It is one of the most convenient and economical tool that you can rely.

Sound marketing is easy if you just know where to put emphasis. Here are the vital points to consider:

1. Create a good marketing message. You have only a few seconds to attract readers so do not spoil that. Make a brief and easy to read text. Complement it with an attractive graphics. Simple yet catchy that’s the idea behind postcards.

2. Maximize space. Use the space to inform your readers what you can give them. Of course they want to know. That’s the very reason they are reading your postcards. What you can give the and how they can get it are vital.

3. Do not forget the ‘call to action’. The most important content is the ‘call to action’. You must say what you want them to do next. To buy, to subscribe – these are calls to action. Thus, if you have established it you also have to support it. Place in your postcards important details like your phone number, address and the likes. By this, you will be contacted easily.

4. Print and mail the postcards. There are a lot of postcard mailing and printing services available these days. Choose the postcard printing services that are appropriate for your needs. Make the process special. You can inquire with the printer’s services to boost the appearance and result of your postcards.

5. Put some spice to it. One way to build a great business relationship is to make your offer special. You can pass on coupons to your potential customers. If they do not intend to use it, they can pass it on to others. This process can result to new clients, new purchases and repeat purchases as well.

Business industry is growing more and more competitive. Businessmen are getting savvier thus, the need to keep the pool of customers has become even harder – much more is to get a bigger market. Moreover, we have to get the most out of our marketing techniques. Postcards can do us a very good favor. It is affordable and effective. Why let the opportunity pass without taking advantage of its charisma?

Postcards can quickly and inexpensively convey your marketing message. Use them to keep the customers and making them return for more!

5 Steps To Generating Your Own Passive List Building Machine!

2009-10-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

How do you build a list building system that funnels subscribers passively into your database day in and day out?

Well, this one question is one of the major questions I get from many of my subscribers who are interested in building a responsive email list. The majority of my subscribers say that they built a marketable email list by using various tactics like ad swaps, articles, and solo ads. But their major problem comes in the area of sustaining their email list growth.

A lot of my subscribers shared with me that they are actually losing more subscribers than they are actually gaining. So how do we avoid this?

Well, that is the focus of this article.

Now let me start off by saying that you will be deceiving yourself if you just think that you can overcome this problem of constantly losing subscribers without any work.

Sitting on your butt and doing nothing is the hogwash approach to online marketing!

It really frustrates me to even think that there are actual individuals who believe that success can come with no work at all!

So before I move forward, make sure you get the lazy approach to online marketing out of your system as soon as possible. If you do not extract laziness from your life and your business, you won’t see any improvement in your life and online business.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me begin describing a legitimate way to passively funnel fresh responsive subscribers into your database.

I will list a series of steps that you can follow below:

1. Generate a content site for your niche

The goal in this step is to generate a website full of useful content that is related to the niche you are trying to build an email list for. A good content site, when organized well, can actually send repeat visitors to your website.

2. Place a Tell a Friend form at the bottom of the pages on your content site

A tell a friend form is a form that allows a visitor to recommend their friends to your website if they find the information on your website useful. A good content site with very valuable information will be virally recommended to a visitor’s friends and family if they find the content enjoyable and full of high quality information.

Therefore, make every effort to select or add the best quality content you can.

3. Add a popup note to every page of your content site

Adding a popup note to your website is an easy way to instantly grab the eyeballs of your visitors and force them to sign up to your newsletter or ezine. The type of popup notes I am referring to have been known to increase the responsiveness of website visitors to a certain offer just by describing the offer in the note.

To see an example of this type of popup in action, visit the link below:

http://www.free-traffic-generation.com

Now do you get the idea!

Just make sure you put a popup note on every page of your content website and you should see some consistent list growth. Also, make sure the popup is advertising your newsletter or ezine.

4. Write an article or press release about your new content website

Writing an article or press release is just a way to jump start the traffic to your website. Just one press release can send you hundreds of links to your site as well as some media publicity.

5. Generate another content website by repeating steps 1 thru 4...or just continue adding original content to your website.

Now this is all it takes to produce a passive list building machine that consistently sends streams of subscribers to your newsletter or ezine. The more content sites you have, the more subscribers you will be able to passively generate.

6 Things I Know About Postcards That You Don’t

2009-10-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

In my plethora of experience tucked away between these ears, I have managed to cull out for you what I consider the “best of the best” – in other words, I took the most proven details about postcards that were significant to you starting a postcard campaign and really winning at it. So here goes the most incisive highlights about postcards.

1) I know that a postcard is better than something in an envelope.

For many reasons, the main one being, in an envelope you can’t make your potential customer see your message.

People are fast. We see and read very quickly – actually much more quickly than we even realize.. Think about yourself – how fast do you go through your mail and process out what you want to keep and what you don’t want to keep? Pretty darn fast. It takes fractions of seconds to go through and process in your mind “bill, bill, advertisement, bill, advertisement, letter…” And it also takes fractions of seconds to decide whether you are even going to bother giving more attention to the pieces that you designated as advertisements.

With a postcard, even if they throw it away, they already saw your message regardless of whether they think they did or not. They saw it enough to throw it away, didn’t they?

And the next time they get that same postcard in the mail, they see it again as they throw it in the trash.

Let’s face it - junk mail gets thrown away. And postcards are junk mail to a lot of people.

Although they may be junk mail, postcards get read no matter what – even if thrown away without reading them, they get seen. It’s like the phoenix rising up from the ashes.

2) I know that if you are not doing repeat mail with your postcards you are flushing your money down the toilet.

Repeat mailings cannot be repeated enough. DO REPEAT MAILINGS! DO REPEAT MAILINGS! DO REPEAT MAILINGS! A one shot in the dark postcard mailing is not going to change your business, your bottom line, your life or your anything.

The long and the short of it is, if you are not up to confronting that you need to do a campaign then don’t bother being in business. Sorry if I sound a bit harsh!

3) I know that the best price is not best necessarily the best postcard.

The cheapest is not necessarily the best. The old adage “you get what you pay for” applies here. Get whatever potential postcard company you interview to send you samples. Make sure the postcard is a very good, quality, stiff card that catches your attention. Get them to give you customer references. Call those references and find out what they think of that company’s service, product, etc.

There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into getting your postcard done right. If they screw up printing, if they don’t get your mailing out on deadline, etc. – doing it dirt cheap might not mean getting the quality service you need or want.

4) I know that although most people, if surveyed, say they like full color on both sides, the truth is black on white on the back of the postcard gets a better response.

Why? Because full color on both sides is confusing. On the other hand, if you have a very aesthetic, pleasing-to-the-eye front - with a great headline - you just want to turn that postcard over and simply get the message on the back. You want good eye trail.

Eye trail is where your eye goes when you look at the postcard. You can have good eye trail with full color on both sides – but it has to be done correctly. Usually when you give people a choice to do full color on both sides they go overboard and the creative juices start flying, not flowing, flying with, “WOW!!! full color on both sides?!!” And they make it too busy. You don’t want it to be dispersing – you want it to go like a trail. Have a start, a middle and an end.

Example:

Did YOU Notice this Postcard?

Your Customers Will Notice Yours Too!
5000 Full Color

Super-glossy

Postcards

for only

$389

Look at it from the customer viewpoint – really look at it from their viewpoint and you can see what I mean by eye trail.

5) I know that you should promote only one thing at a time on your postcard.

Even if you sell lots of different products, you only promote one of them. It is fine to mention them on the back of the postcard bullet pointed. But your main focus on the front of your postcard needs to be one product, service, item, what have you – just one thing.

Say you have a flooring store and a furniture showroom in the back. Your postcard should only talk about flooring. It is not that people who are looking for flooring are not also looking for furniture – it’s just too much information on the front of postcard.

The purpose of a postcard is to get your prospect interested with one thing. You can put on the back as just a mention: “We also have a giant showroom full of furniture.”

But on the front – one item! ONE ITEM!

If a company sells hot tubs, above-ground pools and jungle gyms they need to pick the one that gives them the most income and make their postcard about that.

6) And I know that a person could grow a company with no other marketing media.

With postcards alone, one could take a company from zero to over a million bucks in revenue or more. How do I know? Because I did it.

We mailed postcards every single week, and the more postcards we mailed out, the more we grew. Yes, it is good to diversify and as we grew and became more successful and had more money to try other media, we did. Some we kept and some we nixed. Postcards are a staple that works no matter what.

These six points of postcard marketing data are proven techniques of making your postcards WOW your prospective clients while at the same time being faithful to the time-honored methods that have proven to get more bang for your buck. These tips are what will put your postcard in a class all by itself.

3 Tips To Building A Responsive List

2009-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

I just bought a product after being on a list for over two years. I hadn't spent one red cent with this guy for two years, but like clockwork, his e-mails just kept coming.

Day after day after day. Week after week.

I finally gave in and purchased his product recently (it's in a field WAY outside marketing).

Why did I stay on his list for so long? And why did I finally pony up the cashola for his product?

It's because he had taught me to respond. Just like he taught everyone on his list to respond.

How did he do it? Lucky for you, I'm a sharing guy.

Here are three things he did to build a responsive list...

1. He Built Rapport With His Readers

2. He Created Excitement And Anticipation

3. He Expanded His Line Of Products

Let's look briefly at each one

1. He Built Rapport With His Readers

The guy told stories. He made it personal. Over the two years, I got to know him through his emails. And here's the clincher...

I look forward to getting his emails! Even though I get hundreds a day, I read his first.

That's powerful. If you can get your readers to look forward to getting your stuff, you can tap into that monee tree like a faucet.

So, build rapport with your readers by making your stuff personal.

2. He Created Excitement And Anticipation

It never failed. He told me all the time...

"Hey, watch out for what I've got planned next Wednesday."

or...

"During the last week of this month, I'm gonna do something really special for you. Watch your e-mail."

He got his list excited about things he had planned. I caught myself always wishing the day would hurry up and get here so he'd uncover his surprise for me.

My buddy Jeff Walker does this brilliantly. If you're not on his list at...

http://www.sixinseven.com

... you should be. Read the e-mails you get from Jeff. You'll know EXACTLY what I'm talking about here.

When you build YOUR lists, try to excite and ignite them by making 'em look foward to your stuff.

3. He Expanded His Line Of Products

One thing that always made me envious about this guy is how fast he created products for his list. The dude was like a machine!

It seemed like he was coming out with something every couple of weeks for us to buy.

Now, this is important, so listen up here...

If you want to teach your list to RESPOND, you have to give them something to respond to over and over.

Read that last sentence again.

Give your list something to buy (either your products or affiliate products). Give them something to do (fill out surveys, tell you what they want, tell you where to stuff your latest product).

Then, do it over and over. Train your list to RESPOND.

Last Thoughts

Building lists is great. But, if you build a dead list, you're just wasting your time.

You have to build RESPONSIVE lists. You want people to WANT to buy your stuff. You want them to look forward to buying your stuff.

I have a friend who makes more moolah with his list of under 1,000 than other knuckleheads make with lists of 100,000.

I'm serious.

A responsive list can support your entire business.

Marketing Strategies

2009-09-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

Marketing strategy helps organizations to focus their full attention to resource utilization to increase sales and win over their competitors. Every company applies some kind of marketing strategies to retain existing customers, attract potential customers and also to maintain and improve their reputation in the market.

When designing a marketing plan, before a marketing strategy is considered. The marketing plan consists of measures to be taken in order to achieve success in implementing the marketing strategy chosen. The major project is the selection of strategies at different levels. Usually consists of a well defined strategy, tactics. They are designed to meet the needs and finally reach marketing objectives. Each of the strategies has pre-calculated results because when a particular strategy is chosen at a certain level, its outcome becomes the goal of that particular level. If there is a lack of a well thought of in a marketing plan that is supposed to mean missing a good base. A reasonable marketing strategy should not only facilitate marketing objectives, but also the action sequence of a campaign.

At regular intervals the firm should analyze the marketing decision. This is done with the help of strategic models and the model of 3C is considered for this purpose. To calculate the company's strategic position, Ansoff matrix is used. The 3C model determines the factors that leads to a successful marketing campaign. There are three main parties involved in this model the company, customers and competitors. The involvement of all three main parties leads to positive results and this involvement is known as the 3C or strategic triangle.

The role of society is to increase the strength of the company in critical areas of success, when compared to that of the competitor. The customer and his way of interest on the basis of any strategy. The competitor also plays a vital role. The competitor-based strategies are based on the operation of commercial competitors like design and engineering, sales and service, and purchasing.

When making a marketing plan according to some particular strategies known as mix strategies are used. 4P model is used to calculate whether the plan is sticking to the strategies or not. The four Ps stand for product, price, place and promotion. Produced goods are produced by society at large in order to sell and earn profits. The price is the price paid for a product by the customer. The price is based on many factors such as competition, market share, customer perception and the identity of the product. Location where the product is sold can be either physical store or store on the Internet. It 'also known as a distribution channel. To make the customer aware of a product, marketing is not promotion. It is advertising, public relations and point of sale.

There are different types of marketing strategies based on certain criteria. Challenger, Leader and Follower are types of strategies for market dominance. Market dominance strategies are used to dominate the market. Cost leadership, market segmentation and product differentiation are the types of beer generic strategies. Porter generic strategies are built on its strategic or competitive ability and strategic scope or market penetration. Close followers, late follower and Pioneers are the types of innovation strategies. Innovation strategies are designed to unleash the rate of product development and innovation of the model. Helps the company to integrate the latest technologies. Intensification, diversification, vertical integration and horizontal are the types of growth strategies. Growth strategies to facilitate the growth of the organization. Marketing strategies are the war together marketing strategies and military strategies.

A marketing strategy or a combination of them was chosen only after extensive market research. A marketer must always be ready to face any kind of situation, as if the strategy has changed in the middle, he should be able to perform another search market, in order to choose the proper strategy, within a short period of time . This can be done easily if you have experience.

Global Marketing

2009-09-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

Global Marketing is nothing but marketing done nationally and internationally and that includes understanding of the similarities, differences and exploiting opportunities to achieve the goal. Focusing on global marketing is as important as the concentration of marketing on the domestic market, if a company aims to increase sales.

The internal market has become saturated in most categories of products and services in all developed countries and, therefore, have begun to negotiate with other countries to increase their sales. Usually in these cases, goods that are too expensive for households to purchase are exported to other countries are wealthy.

When a company not on the market within the confines of a specific region, which must compete with other domestic companies and international companies that are part of the market. Marketing initiatives taken by the industry are based on the taste of a specific audience. The product may not suit the tastes of customers to a higher level. Other domestic companies who plan to go global hinder the growth of such enterprises. They become invisible at the international level because they are not able to cope with increasing competition and may not be aware of potential competitors. Development of the product depends on the needs of local residents. These types of firms are ethnocentric and are only worried about their performance in the domestic market.

Companies that plan to travel around the world should start with the first export to a foreign customer. The return is inconsistent with the principle. The department of export may be introduced at the headquarters that deals with all laws. There may be a chance to become secondary exporters, bringing the export management company in the photo, which will deal with the problem of language, time zone, documents and customers. If the management of exports, without any help, the department of export can be started in an office abroad. This office works in cooperation with the regional headquarters. But their offices offshore to take marketing decisions, because it has a better knowledge of the particular market they operate in.

Multinational Marketing provides marketing in many countries. Marketing is based on the needs of different countries and the return are rewarding. Each region should be studied individually based on the development, production and marketing. These types of markets are known as centric region. Global Marketing involves the whole globe. The whole world is summarized in a single market and products that come onto the market should meet the needs of each regional market. Marketing around the world to make marketing decisions. Such kind of market is known as Earth.

The automotive industry is a market that has seen an overall increase in sales over the past fifty years. Previously only local companies, like Ford and General Motors to produce cars used in America, but other international competitors like Toyota and Honda now operating in the same market and have done away with local companies. Another key factor in the marketing world is the Internet, which introduced e-commerce. Companies went online and go global. This has encouraged the company sales and the numbers are only increasing because of the increasing proportion of Internet users. The geographical location of customers is no longer an obstacle. The management of the global market and business-to-business e-commerce is growing rapidly.

Product, price, placement and promotion are the elements of global marketing. The product should be created so you can sell anywhere with the same method. It should take into consideration the primary elements of all markets. However, the language which the product gets its name can be changed, if the content can remain the same. The price is never constant. It should be decided after reviewing the market and the currency of the country. The variables that affect prices are places where the product is produced, the cost of ingredients, transport costs, costs of labor, etc.

Positioning is how the product is distributed and how to get the market targeted. As in the third world countries, there is a lack of hypermarkets, so that they can be placed or sold in normal shops. Once the product is developed and distributed, it should be promoted precisely known, such as advertising, promotion is one of the most important steps of marketing and consuming most of the budget. If you can send the same message around the world in a relevant and cost-effective, which must be implemented, but the challenge is really great.

3 Secrets to Knocking Out Big Competitors

2009-09-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Nobody likes a bully… especially small business marketers. If you’ve ever felt like the little guy taking punches from a heavyweight champion, you know what I’m talking about. Big business has donned its gloves, and is waiting to put small business down for the count.

I’ve got good news! Sometimes the little guy wins. Heck, it isn’t easy and sometimes it’s a close call, but little guys do win and when they do… victory is sweet!

What can you do when you’re being threatened by the bully down the street?

1. Take a careful look at the Competition
Every business has its strengths and weaknesses. You need to be aware of both… your competitors strong points, and the places where room for improvement is quite obvious.

2. Be Flexible
Don’t expect your competitor to broadcast his next move so that you can be prepared to block it. You’ve got to think a step ahead, and be ready to outsmart his next maneuver.

3. Use a little Judo
You don’t have to be big and brawny to successfully use Judo. Why? It’s an art that uses your opponent’s momentum to trip him up. So what if you don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in a campaign. When you’re competition has invested his tens of thousands in one, you’ll be able to make a quick about turn and counteract quickly with a smaller campaign of your own. He’ll either forfeit his investment or continue through, but loose steam.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret about your competitors that might encourage you. Although big businesses often have a wide variety of products filling their shelves, they often don’t have depth.

Think about it this way. You may run to your local department store and find everything ranging from make-up to camping equipment. The problem with that? …chances are they don’t have an extremely wide assortment of their products.

This means that if you’re an avid outdoorsman, you probably wouldn’t be satisfied choosing between two cheap brands of tents when there is an amazing variety on the market. An outdoor related store could get one over on the big department store by offering the widest variety of fewer products in a focused field.

Another asset about being the small guy, is that it’s easier to make a quick turn. Hey, how many managers do you have to get okays from to make a quick decision? Think of the weeks it takes for a local department store to send a request from a customer for a certain product to the regional or national management? Yeah, too long!

As a small business, you can have a new product on your shelves within a week. If I were a customer wanting a new tent, I’d prefer to not wait until summer was half over to get it.

There are a lot of benefits to being the small guy. Don’t take bullying lying down. You have what it takes to get the best end of the stick and come out a winner.

3 Reasons Why Every Business Needs A Newsletter

2009-09-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

There are many benefits you and your business can reap from publishing your own newsletter.

1. Keeping In Touch -- Your customers and clients are the lifeblood of your business. What better way to stay in touch with your existing customers than through a newsletter? A newsletter allows you to add personal touches to your relationship and celebrate milestones, both your own and your client's. In addition to furthering your relationship with your clients, a newsletter can also allow you to introduce new products, offer special sales or discounts to your existing client base, and encourage referrals.

2. Hook In New Customers -- Unless they have an immediate need or came to you through a powerful referral, most potential customers won't buy right away. Often they will shop around and compare which means you will likely never see them again. However if you have a free newsletter that offers interested clients the opportunity to learn more about you, your business, and your products for free and they can also learn more about your interaction with your existing customers. A newsletter can be a very simple strategy to turn a one-time visitor into a lifetime customer.

3. Establish Your Expertise -- No one knows more about your business than you do which makes you an expert. Likely the construction of your own business has further left you with a great deal of expertise in your field. Share your nuggets of knowledge through your newsletter to deepen your relationship with your existing customers and convince potential customers that you are the answer to their problems.

Now that I have convinced you that you need to publish your own newsletter, I want to go over a few questions that budding editors and publishers always ask.

What exactly is an electronic newsletter?

Just like their paper counterparts, electronic newsletters deliver written messages usually relating to a common theme or topic. The main difference is that an electronic newsletter transcends paper and ink and most likely only ever exists on a computer screen.

Some electronic newsletter are delivered only via email while others are delivered only on the web. Most are delivered in some combination of the two. Most of my ezines and newsletters are delivered via email but also available immediately via web page (or rather blog page) and RSS feed.

You can choose the method is most suited to you and your audience.

How do you publish an electronic newsletter?

It is much easier to start publication of your own electronic newsletter than it is to start up a print publication. You simply need to decide on a topic, name your publication and start writing. It is easy to find an audience (beyond your own customer base if you choose) through the various ezine and newsletter directories around the internet as well as going directly to the source, for example discussion boards for people interested in your topic.

You will need to determine a delivery method, which means most likely setting up your own web site or page on your existing web site; creating an archive for your issues once they are created, which could mean setting up a blog; and tracking your readers, which likely means setting up a mailing or autoresponder service. However you can use free tools to do any of these things.

How important are your employees?

2009-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Most businesses invest in marketing and advertising each month but overlook another vital investment that they are already making. That investment is their employees. I've said before that your employees can make or break your company, and recently I ran into a very poinient example of that fact.

I was on the telephone with UPS trying to track down a shipment that had to be intercepted so that we could get it to a client sooner. I spoke to a woman at UPS about this and she took all the necessary steps to make it happen. After two hours had passed and I had not received a phone call saying where we could meet the driver to get the packages, I called UPS back. This time I spoke to a gentleman who seemed to be new. He insisted on telling me all the reasons that this could not be done. Fortunately I had dealt with this situation before and knew that it could. After a great deal of frustration I ended the call and called back, this time speaking with another woman. This woman was one of the best customer service reps that I have ran into in a long time - she handled everything and went far above and beyond to fix the situation and make everything work for us. Before long, we got the packages and delivered them to our client.

The attitude of the gentleman that I spoke to, unfortunately, seems to be the norm in customer service these days. UPS is in a fairly unique position due to their almost monopolistic position in the market, but most companies would quickly loose customers if they handled them this way. The attitude of the last woman that I spoke to however was completely different and actually solved my frustrations on the situation. The best marketing campaign in the world will fall flat if your employees do not treat your customers right while the best employees can often multiply the effectiveness of an average marketing campaign. To get the most out of your marketing dollars you should make sure that your employees are properly trained on how to deal with customers and occasionally use "mystery customers" to spot test them.

8 Dynamic Marketing Tips

2009-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here are 8 dynamic marketing tips to help you increase your sales and profits fast.

1. Don't Just Sell Benefits

Don't just tell prospects what they gain when they buy your product or service. Tell them what they lose if they do not buy it. Most people fear loss more than they desire gain. Customers want your product or service to enjoy the benefits it provides. They will want it even more when you remind them of what they lose by not buying it.

2. Use Pleasant Surprises to Close Sales

An unpleasant surprise can kill a sale. But a pleasant surprise can help close a sale. For example, adding an unexpected bonus immediately before your prospect takes the last action to complete a sale will eliminate any last minute hesitation.

3. Provide Fast Delivery - Even When You Can't

The faster you can deliver your product or service the more sales you will get. If you cannot deliver all or part of your product immediately, add something to the purchase that you CAN deliver immediately. It could be as simple as a series of helpful tips related to your product posted on your web site ...available only to new customers.

4. Make Buying Easier

Every non-essential action in the buying process is an opportunity for customers to reverse their decision to buy. Look for ways you can make your buying procedure easier and faster. For example, many marketers use a multi-step shopping cart to get online orders when a simple online order form would do the job with just 1 or 2 quick clicks.

5. Improve Your Offers without Lowering Your Price

You don't have to reduce your price to improve your offer. Instead, simply load it up with bonuses. Make sure your bonuses have a high perceived value to your customers ...even if they cost you little or nothing.

6. Keep Your Advertising Up to Date

If you never make any changes in your advertising, your sales will eventually decline. Don't abandon advertising that's working - but do keep trying to improve it. And regularly test new advertising to see how it works for you.

7. Outsmart Your Competitors with Alternative Marketing

Look for some alternative marketing methods your competitors are overlooking. That's how one internet marketer discovered direct mail postcards. They proved to be a highly effective and very low-cost way to generate traffic to her web site ...while concealing her marketing activity from competitors.

8. Neutralize Customer Complaints Quickly

Handle customer complaints quickly and with a positive attitude. Strive to preserve your relationship with the customer instead of your immediate profit from them. They will reward you with repeat sales and referrals instead of punishing you by telling everybody they know about their unhappy experience ...causing you to lose future customers.

Each of these 8 marketing tips reveals a proven low-cost marketing tactic many other small businesses have used to boost their sales and profits. Integrate them into your marketing program now and you'll quickly start enjoying the same results too.

7 Small Business Marketing Tips

2009-08-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here are 7 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help any small business find customers and generate sales quickly.

1. Don't Advertise Like a Big Business

Big businesses advertise to create name recognition and future sales. A small business can't afford to do that. Instead, design your advertising to produce sales ...now. One way to accomplish this is to always include an offer in your advertising - and an easy way for prospective customers to respond to it.

2. Offer a Cheaper Version

Some prospective customers are not willing to pay the asking price for your product or service. Others are more interested in paying a low price than in getting the best quality. You can avoid losing sales to many of these customers by offering a smaller or stripped down version of your product or service at a lower price.

3. Offer a Premium Version

Not all customers are looking for a cheap price. Many are willing to pay a higher price to get a premium product or service. You can boost your average size sale and your total revenue by offering a more comprehensive product or service ...or by combining several products or services in a special premium package offer for a higher price.

4. Try Some Unusual Marketing Methods

Look for some unconventional marketing methods your competitors are overlooking. You may discover some highly profitable ways to generate sales and avoid competition. For example, print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your website or generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.

5. Trim Your Ads

Reduce the size of your ads so you can run more ads for the same cost. You may even be surprised to find that some of your short ads generate a better response than their longer versions.

6. Set up Joint Promotions with Other Small Businesses

Contact some non-competing small businesses serving customers in your market. Offer to publicize their products or services to your customers in exchange for their publicizing your services to their customers. This usually produces a large number of sales for a very low cost.

7. Take Advantage of Your Customers

Your customers already know and trust you. It's easier to get more business from them than to get any business from somebody who never bought from you. Take advantage of this by creating some special deals just for your existing customers ...and announce new products and services to them before you announce them to the general market.

Also, convert your customers into publicity agents for your business. Develop an incentive for them to tell associates and friends about the value of your products or services. An endorsement from them is more effective than any amount of advertising - and it is much cheaper.

Each of these 7 marketing tips provides a simple, low-cost way for any small business to find customers and generate sales quickly.

7 Key Strategies to Earn Customer Loyalty

2009-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

The key of your business success is building customer loyalty. Holding on to existing customers is as important as soliciting new customers to keep feeding your list with fresh subscribers. Customer loyalty is the key to your business growth and profit. Because loyal customers generate a continual revenue stream through repeat purchases, they bring your business-increased profitability at a lower cost.

Like in any other moneymaking system, to succeed as an email marketer, you will need to understand all the secrets that are available to keep growing your business and apply them immediately.

How to Build a Business Relationship to Gain Customer loyalty!

Everywhere you go online they tell you that you must have a list to succeed. That's true but it doesn't go far enough until you understand exactly what makes subscribers eager to pay for your products, success will remain subtle.

If you don’t know how to build a business relationship to keep your subscribers enthusiastic, eagerly waiting for your articles and rush to buy your product without any regard for brand, your list is worthless.

Hands down the main key factor of a responsive email list is the Trust Factor. If you earn your subscribers trust, you will have much more success when it comes to advertise to your list. Without the trust of your subscribers, they will be leery when it comes to pulling out their credit card to buy from you.

1 - Earn your subscribers' trust

Honesty is essential to earning customers' trust, and that trust is the key to gaining customer loyalty. Earning customers trust is important to the success of any business. Being honest goes with not hiding anything.

Let your subscribers know your Identification and contact information, such as your name, physical address, email address and telephone number. It is important that you let your subscribers know how to contact you for assistance. The more they know you as a person, the more they'll trust you. And when it comes to asking for money, nothing is more important than trust.

Warning: Be sure to be selective in what you promote to your subscribers. If you suggest a product that turns out to be a scam, your subscribers will likely blame you first for recommending it to them. You really can’t afford to take a hit like this to your reputation.

2 - Give Them What They Want

When your subscribers sign up to your ezine, they are doing so for a reason. They want the information you are telling them they will receive. Keep giving them that, and they’ll be happy as can be. Diverge from that, and you could find yourself losing subscribers quicker than you can get them.

Tips: Ask Your Subscribers what they want. Don’t guess. Use this great, easy to use online tactic to find out exactly what your subscribers will buy from you or what subject they want to learn about. You could hold a contest. By sending them simple questionnaires or surveys will give you a sense of your market's needs, wants and preferences. Give the winner a quality prize and/ or gift that he can’t find elsewhere. Getting your subscribers involved like this will also keep them interested in your emails and help get more emails opened.

3 - Don’t send “too many” marketing messages.

Two thing you really need to watch, as a publisher, is how to advertise your product/ service and what product you endorse. Nothing ticks off a subscriber more than thinking a publisher is only in it for the money. This will happen if you advertise too much, or if you advertise the wrong products.

Sending out an email newsletter with too much ads and a little or no quality information will hurt your reputation. You have everything to lose, and nothing at all to gain by stuffing your Ezine with ads.

The ads in your Ezine aren’t the only things you have to worry about. This also includes any ads you send out that are separate from your regularly scheduled newsletter. Sending out an ad each day is not the way to go if you want to build customer loyalty. It is the way to go if you want everyone to unsubscribe from your list.

4 - Make your subscribers your friends!

Give your subscribers a good sense of who you are. It’s important that your subscribers see you as a real person, because they will likely never meet you in person. One thing every successful publisher does is just talk about whatever is on their mind in each issue of their Ezine. They may talk about their family, their favorite sports team, politics, the weather, anything that’s going on. They usually ask the reader to write back a few comments about it, or the reader will just write back without being asked to. This creates a bond between the publisher and the reader that could result in future sales and future partnerships.

5 - Over Deliver

Nothing makes people happier than knowing you pay attention to them. Make your customers and potential clients delighted by giving them more than they expected. After they order your product or sign up for your publication, give them a gift or a bonus that wasn’t advertised, in addition to any gifts or bonus you promised they would get. I’m not talking about any ebook or software they can download from any website. Give something that no one or only a few other people are giving away. This kind of gift and bonus says that you put a lot of attention and thought into helping them succeed.

From time to time and in special events send free gifts just for the heck of it. By continuously over delivering, your subscribers will realize that you are trying to help them learn what they need to know, and they will appreciate it when you give them the tools and information they need to succeed. This is obviously geared more towards strong relationship and they stay loyal customers longer.

6 - Help Them Out

Besides giving your subscribers what they want, helping them with whatever they need help with is the best way to earn customer loyalty. While this works on an individual basis, instead of taking care of all of your subscribers at once, the people you are able to help will be very grateful, and will probably tell their friends, colleagues and neighbors about you. Positive word-of-mouth is a powerful way to acquire new customers and build customer loyalty.

If one of your subscribers sends you an email asking for help, help them out as much as you can. Don’t just give them a quick, one word answer. They’ll probably just be back asking for a little more information. Just go ahead and tell them what you can, and be nice about it, even if you think it’s a stupid question.

7 - Don’t Use Hype

I’m sure you’ve seen this before. It seems to be everywhere you look people trying to hype-up their offer to make it sound better than it is. Most people just want you to be straight with them.

If you just stick to telling the truth about a product, without making it look like hype, I think your subscribers will have much more respect for you. Personally, I think its stimulating when someone sends me a sales letter and outlines how I can benefit from it without trying to make it sound better than it is. Most people can tell the difference, and will probably be turned off by the hype.

The bottom line

When you combine all of these keys, you’ll build a strong relationship with your subscribers and they stay loyal customers for years. All you need to do is find a way to include all of these keys into your business marketing strategies, and you’ll soon find yourself getting new subscribers, building relationships with and earning customer loyalty.

3 Steps To Getting Highly Motivated Prospects Or Customers

2009-07-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

With the many ways to advertise, it is easy to sometimes be in a rush to just get something out somewhere. But, no matter where you plan to advertise, there are several basic fundamentals that will help create advertisements that are effective and profitable. Here are three that will get you headed in the right direction.

1. First on the check list is; is your unique selling position (USP) clear and provoking?

You need to find out what makes your business different from that of your competitors. From that, you can develop a strategy based on the strengths or even weaknesses of those differences. Actually, good marketers identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) and develop their strategy from those factors. Here is an example of a USP that stems from a companies weakness:

“We’re not #1, so we work harder to get the job done.”

In this example, a weakness was used to let customers know that they will do what it takes to get the job done. Customers know that they are not #1 so the service and pricing will be competitive.

Having a USP is extremely important in setting you apart from your competitors. It is what gets you into the minds and eventually the wallets of your customers and prospects.

2. Effective Headings and Ad Copy

In developing effective headings and ad copy, it is essential to live by the adage, Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Better know as “AIDA.”

This simply means that you grab the attention of the prospect or customer with an compelling headline or graphic, you keep them reading with an interesting ad copy which creates a desire and ends with a powerful call to action .

When developing “AIDA” it is important to keep in mind that all purchases revolve around basic human wants and they fall into two categories; the desire to gain, and the desire to avoid lose. The latter which is usually the most effective. This is an entire article in itself, but if you focus on those two principals, you will be on your way to an effective ad campaign.

3. It doesn’t matter what you say if your not saying it in the right place.

Just as important as what you say, is where you say it. Where and when you place your ads will have a tremendous effect on the results of those ads. Knowing little facts, such as, the following will give you a much more effective campaign:

Full page ads get better response on the right hand pages.

Larger ads work better than smaller ads.

If placing smaller ads, they are generate more response if lower on the page and closer to the outer margins.

In direct mail, buyers are more responsive to mailings received mid-week than on Mondays, Fridays, or weekends.

Seminars and lectures work better during the second and thirds weeks of the month.

Those are just a few simple facts that will create better response for you. Being a student and learning all the intricate details of advertising will be time well spent in regards to the success of your campaigns.

Ok, so those three simple steps will help you create more effective and more profitable advertising campaigns. Advertising can be costly if the little details are not given proper attention , but highly profitable if you do your homework and create the most compelling ad and place it at the right time and place.

5 Tips to Get More Results from Your Marketing Materials

2009-06-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

The moment I decided to specialize as a direct response copywriter (which means you get a response directly from the marketing materials, there's no middle person involved, like a sales rep) I knew there would be one thing that would determine if I would be eating steak or eating mac and cheese.

And what's the one thing? The results I got for my clients.

Therefore, improving results became a pretty big focus of mine. You might even call it a passion. (Some people who aren't nearly as nice have called it in an obsession.)

Regardless, here are 5 tips that can help you improve the conversions of your marketing materials.

1. Know who you're talking to. If I hear anyone say "women are my potential customers" or "anyone with skin is my target market" (yes, that really was a direct quote from someone who sold Mary Kay or Arbonne or something like that) I will send my border collies (all 3 of them) to your house and force you to play fetch with them until your arm falls off. Seriously, the quickest way you can end up with the most dismal results imaginable is to try and talk to everyone. Come up with a specific customer -- the more specific the better -- and make sure your marketing materials speak directly to that customer.

2. Make sure you write benefits, not features. This one is probably the hardest one to "get" but also one of the most critical. People buy benefits, not features, so if you only talk about features you're just asking for people not to buy what you're selling.

So what is the difference between features and benefits? Features are a description of a product -- for instance, if we're talking about a diet pill, a feature would that the product is a pill. A benefit would be the solution the product provides -- in this case, losing weight.

As much as you possibly can, write about why someone should buy your product. No one buys diet pills because they like taking pills, they buy them to lose weight. Think of the solution your product or service provides and write about that.

3. Work on that headline. David Ogilvy, famous ad man and author of Confessions of an Advertising Man, has said that people make the decision to read your marketing materials based your headline.

Your headline should: a. speak to your potential customers, b. contain a benefit, c. be so compelling your target market is compelled to read further. That's a lot to ask for from basically a handful of words. So don't rush the process -- take as much time as you need to create the very best headline for your particular piece.

4. Don't forget the call to action. You've got to tell people what to do next. If you don't tell them what you want them to do, chances are they won't do anything.

Don't assume your potential customers know what you want them to do. They don't. They can't read your mind. Nor do they want to. They're busy people. They don't have the time or the energy to figure things out. Tell them what to do next, or don't be surprised when they don't do anything.

5. Use P.S.'s or captions. Postscripts (P.S.) are the second most read item in a sales piece. What's the third? Captions. (The copy under photos, diagrams or other illustrations.) Now that you know that, think of the ways you can use either or both of those items in your pieces. Maybe you put a special offer in there or you highlight a particularly compelling benefit. Or you tell them again what you want their next step to be. Whatever you do, don't waste that space.

If you even do just one of these tips, you should start seeing better results. Work on all five and you might be amazed at how much your results improve.

5 tips to invest and do business in China

2009-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

1. Have clear understanding of China

It is essential to understand the culture of the country before investing in it. Understanding China is vital as China is a land of vast diversity. As such it is important for the company to understand the culture and the society’s values before establishing operations in China. Only through understanding the culture and values strong foundations can be built and higher chance of success can thus be achieved.

2. Understand local business practices

Given China’s distinct culture differences from the rest of the world, understanding China’s business culture is extremely crucial. What works in one’s country will not be applicable at all in China. Understanding how the local people think and their business practices can allow one to engage better and faster with them. Original organizational culture and practices may have to change in order to accustom to China’s practices. Thus flexibility and adaptability is the key for any organization to be successful in China.

3. Acquire local knowledge and establish local presence

Establishing a representative office in conjunction with a strong domestic private sector partner that has access to all necessary information and contacts in their field is the widely practiced formula practiced by foreign firms who already enjoyed success in China. Another way will be through setting up joint venture. Most importantly it has to be the selection of the correct partner. Finding the right partner may require more time, patience and experience but it is never a hassle to spend more efforts in choosing the partner because a wrong partner will definitely guarantees failure. Chinese expertise and local talent must also be incorporated into management or consulted during decision-making since local knowledge is essential as a source of information, access to networks and social and cultural learning, especially in China.

4. Need for establishing business relationships

Guanxi (relationship) is an important element in achieving successful business in China. Top management must learn to nurture close relationships with their local counterparts. This not only helps them to understand the Chinese domestic market, but also creates avenues for help in times of trouble or in need of assistance. Building strong relationships with business partners can aid in mitigating strategic and operational risks.

5. Establish close relations with government officials

Because the China government plays an important role in influencing market movement and administering foreign investments, a strong government relationship remains an important factor to do business successfully in China. Fewer hiccups may be met during paperwork applications or achieving local authorization if a strong relationship with government officials is in place.

5 Steps To Profiting From News Feeds

2009-06-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Looking at News Feeds, you might think they’re some of the most complex things to set up. Nothing could be further from the truth. They’re actually super-easy to create once you have the system set up properly.

You can break down the news feed system into a fast, low-cost system that you can do once, or several times over.

First I’ll answer a few of your questions about news feeds. Then I’ll reveal the “secret” steps to setting up and profiting from a news feed.

Common Question #1: What is a news feed?
A news feed is an automatically updating list of the latest news on a particular subject. For instance, the news feed on my Web site is on the subject of small business marketing.

Common Question #2: Why do I need one?
Other than being a really cool thing to have on your Web site, News feeds are also really great traffic boosters. Not only do they make your Web site more attractive to the all-important Web crawlers that view what's on your site, but News feeds also inspire visitors to come back to your site for fresh news.

So the benefits are two-fold:

• new visitors, and
• return visitors.

Please keep in mind there are a few things you need to do to see benefits from news feeds.

1. Choose a subject of interest to your audience. I chose small business marketing news. For you, it could be the latest news on a tough problem gripping your industry. The great part about it is that you don’t have to provide answers, just create a forum where your target market can access information about an issue.

2. Find your news feed. There are several services providing news feeds of various pieces of information. In my experience it’s best to locate news aggregators based only on your industry.

3. Place the feed on your Web site. This is where I initially ran into problems, but a programmer friend passed on a rather affordable solution that I was able to easily place the news feed on your Web site. The great thing about it is, once you set up the feed, you never really have to touch it again.

4. Make your site profitable. Consider placing advertisements on the same page as your news feed. No doubt the regularly updating news will be a hit with your audience and as more people come to the site you’ll be producing passive profits. (Say that five times fast!)

5. Drive traffic to your site. Over the years I’ve found the best way to drive traffic to a site is through article writing and distribution. It’s like an instant shot in the arm for quality traffic.

And that’s the “secret” formula to profiting from news feeds. Really, it’s no secret. It’s all about know which resources to use to make the news feed work for both you and your target audience.

5 Proven Ways to Waste Advertising Money

2009-05-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

1. Yo Yo Advertising
My friend Dottie can precisely predict her sales peaks and plummets accurately...and no, she's not into fortune telling. Experience has proven that March, April, and May will bring a lot of money to her account, while September and January will put her in the slumps

Sound familiar? Have you too been caught in the vicious cycle of high and low sales volumes? Why? Most of us tend to advertise heavily while things are slow - in a desperate attempt to get customers through the door, but back off when things are hopping.

If you're looking for an even-keeled market, develop a steady marketing plan. Steady advertising produces steady growth...and steadily climbing profits!

2. Single Shot Advertising
One shot ads, rarely get results. Most customers are just like you, they don't jump on the band wagon the first time it passes by. They often need to see your sales material several times before they actually make the move to walk through the doors.

Follow-ups are necessary for success. We're not just talking about prospective customers now...even your loyal customers need to be cultivated for sales. How many times have you thought about making a purchase, but just never followed through with it? Sure, we all do it. Sometimes it takes a little pressure to get us to part with our hard-earned money. Make it a point to spend time building relationships with both new customers and your faithful following.

3. MonkeySee, Monkey Do Advertising
How many times have you seen the same advertisement ideas written with just a little different twist? If you're surfing the Web you've come across plenty of the aped ads! Yeah, you can predict what the next paragraph will cover, because you've seen it so many other places.

Sure, copy cat ads can be effective for a little while, but the results will quickly die down as others join in the copy mania. If you're looking for REAL and LASTING results, be original. Do what only you can do, forget about what everyone else is doing. Be you. When a competitor does have a good idea, improve on it. Don't follow in his footsteps...step out and lead the way to more effective advertisements.

4. Wild Shot Advertising
Ready, aim...yeah aim before you advertise! Don't be caught up in wild advertising that gets your message in front of a lot of people who have absolutely no interest in your product or service.

Target your market...and get better results for your investment. Finding the target market that has a specific need you can fulfill takes a little time and research, but you'll feel the effects when you hit the bullseye!

Think about this...there are advertising venues that your competition is overlooking. What about postcards? These high impact marketing tools are often overlooked. Yet, they're the perfect low-cost way to generate prospective customer interest. Keep an eye open for overlooked marketing gems, and get one up on your competition!

5. Me, Me Advertising
What is it that consumers are looking for? ...Exactly, something that is going to benefit them. They really aren't interested in the facts about your product...they want to know how it will impact their life or lifestyle.

Take a look at your ad copy, and ask yourself what are you portraying...facts or benefits. Multi Level Marketers have this all figured out. Rather than tell you they have a business to offer, they spend a lot of time promising you freedom to work your own hours, countless vacations, summer homes and a host of other things you've probably already dreamed about at some point. Hey, don't knock it...the MLM industry is a steadily growing element in our economy.

Don't bore your readers with the facts...attract them with exciting elements that will fulfill their needs or desires.

Are you getting the results you've been looking for? Take another look at your marketing strategy...are you making the same mistakes many marketers unknowingly make. Hey, real success may only be one change away!

5 Marketing Moves for Business Success

2009-05-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Marketing has traditionally been broken down to a formula known as “the 5P’s” – the five factors that make up an organization’s marketing strategy. If these are done consistently, well, and for a long enough period of time, these 5 factors also become part of their brand.

So far, so good. But the problem is that no one can seem to agree on exactly which 5 P’s are important, so the list typically includes: people, product, place, process, price, promotion, paradigm, perspective, persuasion, passion, positioning, packaging, and performance.

Wow. Sounds complicated, huh? I’m going to try and simplify effective marketing into five moves – five concrete actions – that you can implement immediately. Your challenge: try one or more of these NOW.

Move 1: Move Up

Want to try something different? The next time you’re speaking with a prospect, when the question of price comes up, DOUBLE your normal price and see what happens.

Am I crazy?

Maybe, maybe not. The other side of the coin is that maybe YOU’RE crazy for not charging for VALUE, but instead competing on PRICE. Businesses that compete on price lose. Period.

The easiest thing your competition can do is undercut your price. In fact, the first thing they will copy is your price. It takes no imagination, no creativity, no innovation, no market leadership, and no vision to lower the cost of something. And it hurts all parties involved. Lower prices always mean lower profits. Studies have shown that a 1% drop in price leads to an 8% drop in profit.

What happens when you double your usual price?

Several things. Prospects perceive:

* An increase in the value of your product/service

* An increased level of prestige in owning/using your product/service

* An increased level of trust in you – and all your other offerings (the halo effect)

* An increased level of confidence that your product/service really works

A marketing consultant that I respect once gave me a very valuable piece of advice. She said, “Be expensive or... be free.” Being one of the most expensive providers of a service is remarkable – people talk about their $200,000 Italian sports car or $21,000 platinum-plated cell phone. Nobody talks about their $19,000 GM sedan.

I’ve helped companies double their prices, with great success, and I’ve helped independent consultants double [and in one case triple] their fees. In each of those cases, they got more clients, not fewer. Details on how to do this in Move 3. And perhaps this means you’ll lose a few unprofitable clients along the way. If you don’t lose some unprofitable clients, you won’t have room to serve the more profitable ones when they come along. It’s professional suicide to continue focusing on serving a market sector “that can afford” to pay your old (low) prices. Price doesn’t find clients. VALUE finds clients. And those clients that value your work should – and will – pay according to that value.

Free is also a powerful price point. And, of course, free is remarkable. Which is another facet to moving up – you move up when you give VALUE first. For free. Got a great idea for a prospect? Great! SEND IT TO THEM. Even better, got a business lead for them? Hand it over! Did you come across an article, a profile, or a piece of research that directly impacts their business? Clip it and mail it to the top person with a brief note. That prospect’s door is now open.

Move 2: Move In

Moving in means moving closer to the customer. Live in their world, think about their problems, and think about their clients and prospects. What’s the first step? Research. Preparation. Homework. Industry, regional, business, and company news is now at every salesperson’s fingertips on the Internet. If you’re not intelligently researching your prospect’s issues, challenges, and pressures, how can you possibly come in with a credible solution?

Don’t like sitting at the computer all day? An even better idea is to hit the street. Visit businesses, talk to your contacts in the fields you serve, get some firsthand information about what’s going on in their world – what are their challenges, perspectives, obstacles, priorities; what are their dreams, their “only-ifs,” and their biggest aspirations?

Is this a lot of work? You bet. Do the majority of salespeople put in this kind of effort? No way. Which is exactly why YOU should. That brings us to Move 3.

Move 3: Move Ahead

Moving ahead means going above and beyond what most salespeople are doing. It means putting in the work – yes, the real, hard work – that makes the difference between being a peddler and being a partner.

Want to move ahead? Start by avoiding doing things your prospects dislike.

Here are the top 10 things salespeople do that buyers dislike according to a Purchasing magazine survey. See if you (or your sales team) might be guilty of any of the following professional no-no’s:

10.Failure to keep promises

9. Lack of creativity

8. Failure to make and keep appointments

7. Lack of awareness of the customer's operation ("What do you guys do here?")

6. Taking the customer for granted

5. Lack of follow-through

4. Lack of product knowledge

3. Overaggressiveness and failure to listen

2. Lack of interest or purpose ("Just checking in")

... and the Number 1 dislike: Lack of preparation.

You can also move ahead by charging more (remember Move 1?) and DEMONSTRATING the VALUE of your product service with hard numbers.

In his insightful book, How to Become a Rainmaker, author Jeffrey Fox calls this process dollarizing. Dollarizing is one of the most powerful sales techniques because once you show (with real numbers that your prospect will provide you with) the return on investment – how THIS much spent will generate THIS much savings, or profits, or sales, or new clients, or hours, etc. – you basically shift the conversation from selling what you’re selling to SELLING MONEY.

In my seminars, I do an exercise called “The Money Machine” that will help you spell this out in hard dollars, very clearly.

The Money Machine goes one step further because you can use it monetize against:

* competing products/services

* the prospect doing nothing

* the prospect doing it themselves

* other things the prospect is already comfortable spending money on

For a free copy of my Money Machine worksheet, email me: david@unconsulting.com.

Suddenly, your product/service becomes a real “investment”: meaning, you can show people the math behind “this much IN” for “this much OUT.” There’s nothing much easier than selling money at a discount!

Here’s another way to move ahead: stop the ridiculous game of “closing the sale.” Closing is not a technique; closing is not a trick; closing is not about magic phrases and looks and power games. Closing should be a natural extension of your conversation, and the two most effective questions you should ask your prospect as you near the end of your value-based discussion are:

1. Does what we’ve talked about so far make sense?

2. What would you like me to do next?

Answer to Question 1: If you’ve prepared for the meeting, discussed the prospect’s key issues, and monetized the value of your solution, of course it makes sense!

Answer to Question 2: “Let’s go ahead” or “Let’s do the paperwork.” Or if your prospect answers this with “Get Out” or “Drop Dead,” you have a pretty good idea that the sale is not ready to close. Seriously, carefully listening to the answer to this question will allow you to address any hidden concerns, hesitations, or issues – right then and there before the prospect would otherwise blurt out an abrupt “No!” to any other traditional “ask for the sale” verbiage that so many sales trainers recommend. Remember, you’re not there to sell – you’re there to HELP THE PROSPECT BUY. If you need to tattoo that on your forehead, be my guest.

Move 4: Move Aside

Here’s another thing that most sales and marketing people have a hard time with: you can’t be all things to all people. Move Aside is about finding your niche, and claiming your expertise in a narrow area of specialty. In plain English, this means you want to become the “Go-To Guy” for your specific product or service – the exact opposite of a “jack-of-all-trades and master of none.”

The people you speak with will have a very different reaction to these two mental images of your product/service:

* “I think we can make this fit.”

* “This is exactly what we’ve been looking for.”

Let me give you an example. There’s a real company that lists among its services “Carpet removal, house cleaning, odd jobs, catering.” Now, I don’t know about you, but when I want a caterer, I’m looking for someone who does catering 24/7. I don’t want to have to worry about “Did they wash their hands after the carpet removal job and before serving my guests?” In fact, if I’m looking for a caterer for a wedding, I might even be drawn to “Wedding Bells Catering” much more so than “Sam’s Catering” or “Good Eats Catering.”

Here’s another example. There are lots of graphic design companies that do all sorts of work – websites, logo design, brochures, collateral material, wine labels, book packaging, etc. You name it, they do it. And business is generally OK. (But let’s face it, if they were going like gangbusters, they probably wouldn’t have sought out my help!) Some of them had a hard time differentiating themselves from the competition and others found it challenging to develop a strong client base and referral network. We’ve had some good success developing their current business, but when we delve into the possibilities of “Moving Aside” and carving out a real niche, or developing one thing that is their flagship specialty, most of my clients get cold feet.

One company (not my client – too bad for me!) that has done this with fabulous results is MaxEffect. They made a tough call. They moved aside. They could obviously do a wide variety of things with their graphic design and advertising skills, but they do ONE THING: they work exclusively on yellow pages ads. That’s it. If you want a killer yellow pages ad with bold graphics, custom or stock photography, clean layout, and a strong, compelling message, these are your go-to people. They’ve designed hundreds and hundreds of yellow pages ads and they’ve built a fanatical client base, and they get a steady stream of referrals – not to mention the steady and growing flow of client work.

Check it out for yourself: http://www.max-effect.com

Move 5: Move Alone

Right now, you are lost in a sea of gray. Me-too rules the day. Everywhere you look, there is more and more and MORE of the SAME OLD THING sold by the SAME OLD PEOPLE in the SAME OLD WAY. Boring. And deadly.

The problem is that people don’t buy gray. If you and your company and your offerings blend into the background, you might as well close up shop right now. Let me put it another way: all companies go bankrupt. It’s just a matter of time. Want proof? Out of the 100 largest companies of 50 years ago, 17 survive today. And none of those 17 are the market leaders they used to be.

Why? Shift happens. If you’re not separating yourself from the crowd, you’re blending in – and nobody will even notice you, much less seek you out and tell their friends about you.

Here’s an example of a company that really hasn’t been doing a bad job – but they’re also not the standouts they used to be.

On a recent call to American Express, an executive was straightening out a billing problem. At the end of the call, the operator asked her, “Have I exceeded your expectations for this call?” and the exec flatly answered, “No.” She had a billing problem, and the rep fixed it. That’s the expectation.

Now, if the rep had offered the executive a $50 American Express gift check to be used at any of American Express’ online retail partners, THAT would have exceeded expectations, right? That story would be worth repeating to 10-20 people. Can you imagine the executive telling anyone, “Hey, I called AmEx to fix my billing error. Guess what? They did it!” That’s not moving alone.

Here’s a good test to see if your marketing and sales strategies are in the category of “moving alone” – they are if you’re doing something that:

* is “simply not done” in your industry

* customers will make a remark about (remarkable!)

* goes against conventional wisdom (I call this “uncommon sense”)

* others (including your competition) think is “crazy”

* others (including your competition) will actually be AFRAID to copy

Get silly. Get crazy. Get an attitude. Get noticed.

Author Seth Godin perhaps put this most succinctly when he said, “Safe is risky. And risky is safe.”

Let me conclude with a recap of the 5 Marketing Moves:

1. Move Up = Get more valuable

2. Move In = Get closer

3. Move Ahead = Get smarter

4. Move Aside = Get specialized

5. Move Alone = Get noticed

Taken together, these will also help you make the Ultimate Move = Get insanely great.

And remember the immortal words of Jerry Garcia:

“You don’t want to be considered the best of the best.
You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.”

3 Steps to Creating A Knockout Corporate Logo For Dum Dums

2009-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

A corporate looking logo can effectively make you look far more important than you actually are. By adopting this simple 1,2,3 step guide we can turn your existing crummy logo into a world beating effort - garaunteed to impress the ladieees.

Step 1 - Choose a dull font such as helvetica
In the world of high flying executives and corporate back slapping deals done upon yachts etc. the one thing almost all self-made millionaires will agree on is that you must give the impression that your company is a straightlaced solemn outfit. Standard fontfaces such as helvetica or times will signify your ability to fit in with suits without ruffling too many feathers and will be looked favourably upon by those all important investors looking to harvest some of their cash in your business.

Step 2 - Choose a dull colour such as grey
Battleship grey - has there ever been a colour more appropriate for the deadening nature of high corporate investiture? No, not by my reckoning at any rate. But surely a grey logo among a sea of other bland logos is just going to get lost isn't it? Hmmm, I've got to hand it to you, you're right but do you know what - if we add a smidgin of royal blue somewhere within our hypothetical logo we achieve the type of chin stroking brilliance that committee members and associate directors can spend literally minutes debating before abstaining to the golf course and soho massage parlours.

Step 3 - Choose a dull symbol such as a circle
Right this is where our creative minds get to have some fun. Do we put the grey/blue circle before the words or after? Above or below? Whatever you choose to do make sure it doesn't involve anything too clever or inspiring. Remember our aim here is to look 'corporate' and sensible not like some kind of fun loving chimps, you gets me. Right the logo should be just about complete and ready to enter the exhilarating world of corporate high life. To celebrate why not throw a lavish party inviting your corporate buddies like Dave and Steve from down the pub?

To summarise, what we want to achieve is an air of 'dullness' yet reliability. Choose a dull font, keep the colour palette strictly dull- nothing too interesting and if you must add a quirky symbol of some sort make sure it keeps well within the dull spectrum of ideas i.e. a circle or square. Corporate Logo Design is not rocket science but if you want to give off the right impression you've got to go with the flow. Right now where did I leave that bowl of cocaine I'm off to a corporate party. Toodle pip.

3 Reasons You Should Attend Seminars

2009-04-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

If you have never gone to an online marketing seminar, you're missing out.

I know what you're thinking...

"Seminars are expensive."

That's true. They are. Some of 'em cost over $5,000. Even the lower-priced parties are around $2,000.

"It's a pain in the butt to attend."

Again, that's fair. In order to go, you have to get on a plane and fly somewhere. And you have to take time from your work and family to do it.

But, there are at least 3 reasons that attending seminars should be on your priority list (even if you DON'T plan to do a major product launch).

1. You Are Surrounded By Like-minded People.

Scoff if you want. But, I'm telling you, there's huge POWER in being around folks who are driven to the same goal as you are.

To this day, my friends and family don't really get what I do. They nod their heads and smile, but I can tell their eyes are glazing over.

Well, picture being at a party with a few hundred people who not only know what you do... they do it, too! You'll be amazed at how inspiring that can be.

2. You Meet People Who Inspire And Drive You.

I know it sounds flighty. But, when you're downing drinks with someone and sharing strategies back and forth about what's working, your mind ignites.

You find yourself wishing you'd brought your laptop so you can start taking action that moment!

And here's something better... you exchange phone numbers (yep, remember that thing you used to use before becoming a recluse?) and follow up with each other.

That's accountability, baby and it can drive you to major success.

3. You Remove Yourself From The Daily Routine.

Ever wake up and have trouble getting your engine started? (I'm not talking about your car here.) And if you ever DO get the thing to turn over, you can't seem to get any speed?

It happens to me all the time. I'll wake up and the day will pass without my having done one truly productive thing! It stinks.

I'll tell you why it happens to me...

I get bored of my routine! Now, don't get me wrong. Routines are good. In fact, they're CRITICAL to your success. Humans need routine.

But, it's JUST as important to get OUT of your routine. And going to a seminar does that for you. It makes you leave your boring daily routine behind.

Going to a seminar can give your brain (and motivation) the jump-start it needs.

Last Thoughts

I'm not trying to sell you on a seminar here. I'm only trying to get you to think about going to one.

There are a lot of benefits to going. Benefits that aren't always clear until you're there, in the hallways, in the bars, at lunch... talking with folks who are doing EXACTLY what you are doing.

It's empowering. It's inspiring. And chances are, one you attend a seminar, you'll be excited to go to another.

3 Reasons Postcards Are The Best Way To Advertise

2009-04-26T19:52:00.001-07:00

When I say postcard, maybe you think of the old fashioned, jagged edged dull pieces of card stock. Think again! Today's postcards are vibrant, high-impact creations with clip art so real that it'll jump off the page at you. And the best thing about them...

1. They're Short and Personal
Let's face it, people just don't have time to sort through a lot of advertisements and junk mail. If the truth be known, they immediately identify ads and pitch them into the trash without ever slitting the envelope.

Postcards get read! It's already open, and the message is "in your face" without exerting any effort to absorb it. Even if the reader isn't trying to read it, he'll get the impact of the short message before he tosses it.

Personal messages have a greater appeal than mass mailings. Postcards keep the old time charm of a personal greeting while implement new high tech marketing strategies... a combination for success.

2. They're Easy And Cost Effective
Hey even the postage for a postcard is cheaper! Go to your printer and have them print you up several thousand for 7 or 8 cents apiece. Not too bad! For about 30 cents you have a cutting edge, high impact marketing tool ready to be put to use.

You don't even have to bother with putting them in the mail. Many print warehouses will take care of it for you. Hey, what could be easier?

3. They Keep Your Marketing Strategy Hidden From Competitors
Do you get tired of spending countless hours agonizing over new marketing strategies, only the have your competitors jump right in and ape your campaign? Yeah, it's pretty frustrating, but hard to do anything about. Everything you do is right in front of them shouting "Copy Me."

Postcards are private interactions with the individuals who read them. It's a one-on-one campaign that lets you keep the results quiet from prying eyes. Heck, they won't even know what you're doing, much less how to copy it.

There's another sneak tactic that I haven't mentioned yet... using postcards to direct traffic to your Website. That's right! Most of us think we need to use Internet marketing tools to drive up our Internet sales. NOT SO! That's what everyone else is doing, but think about it. A postcard with your slogan and visible information that directs the reader to your Website... yeah, let's hope the competition doesn't catch on for quite a while!

There's not another marketing campaign that can guarantee 100 percent readership! It just makes sense that when more people read your ad, it will be more effective. Use postcards to market and count on a high response rate!

Developing VIP Clubs that Increase Business

2009-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

"Before you begin marketing through a VIP Club, you need to take a step back and look at your restaurant. Make sure that you are ready for increased business. Don't attempt to market your restaurant unless you have above average food and service. Good marketing can actually put a restaurant that provides poor food and service out of business faster because more people will have a poor dining experience, and the negative word-of-mouth will cause them to fail faster than if they do not market at all," says Brent Davis, Director of Coaching Services for RestaurantMarketingGroup.org (RMG) a company that specializes in helping restaurants to build sound, trackable marketing systems through its easy-to-use software, "How-To" marketing manuals and personalized coaching.

Gathering the Data:
Once you have taken an internal inventory and feel good about the food and service that you provide, it's time to start using and building your database of existing customers. Remember that in most restaurants 30 percent of the customers are bringing in 70 percent of the business. For the sake of our discussion, let's say that Joe's Family Diner has 10,000 customers a month. That's 322 customers each day. Seventy percent of the diner's monthly customers would be 7,000. If the restaurant's VIP Club marketing creates only one more visit per year per customer at an average check of $25, the volume will increase by $175,000 per year or $14,538 a month and that's with only
one extra visit per existing customer per year. You can see why it's important to go after additional customer visits.

"Don't forget that your existing customers are your neighbors. A VIP Club nables you to market within your neighborhood to existing customers. It's permission based and therefore considerably more effective than if you did a
blanket coupon offer to all of your neighbors. These are folks who know and frequent your restaurant; they took the time to fill out a VIP card and have shared personal information with you," says Davis.

"VIP Clubs are a great way to build customer loyalty. Always give a thank you reward bonus for joining the club. We recommend that the offers go out by email or regular mail within 72 hours after signing up. The offer should be
without any strings attached. I like to suggest that the offer be for a dollar amount. A flat $15.00 or $10.00 amount could be enough depending on your guest check average. You could give a FREE, dinner with a $10 or $15 limit. Give them an offer they can use on anything they want. The offer is now valuable and they feel compelled to use it," says Teresa Horn, RMG Marketing Program Development

Specialist.
To enjoy the greatest return on your VIP Club enrollment campaign, you should train your employees so that they understand everything about the VIP Club. Have a contest and give prizes to the employees who sign up the most
customers. Place VIP Club displays and sign-up cards in very high-traffic, highly visible areas. Use pre-printed "Post-It" pad messages and put them on your menus so that your customers and employees will be reminded to fill them out.
Always emphasize the benefits of VIP Club membership. Enter the names and additional information into the computer software program on a daily basis, using a part time employee.

Horn suggests that your VIP Club sign-up cards include the
following information:

Name:
Address:
Birthdates of each family member, so that they can receive a
birthday surprise.
Anniversary:
Email::
Phone: (Optional)

"Carefully select your expiration date. I usually suggest using a three-week expiration date. If it's not used by then, it is usually lost. You want to create a sense of urgency," says Horn.

Processing the data:
Don't wait until you have built a large database. Start marketing to each VIP Club member the minute you get their data. You will find that this information is your most valuable marketing asset.

Creating a database of your customers and immediately communicating to them on a regular basis will increase the frequency of visits to your restaurant. For almost any reason, or sometimes for no reason at all you should send
the customer a postcard or an email with an incentive to bring them into the restaurant again. Remember, the goal is to bring the customers in at least one EXTRA time per year. By sending them a reminder postcard or email around a
holiday or during a local community event will remind them to visit your restaurant. And if they make several EXTRA visits you have exceeded your goal and dramatically increased the sales and profit of your restaurant.

Create a Birthday Club:
What is the most popular holiday for eating out? According to the National Restaurant Association, it's on your birthday. In fact, 55 percent of all Americans eat out on their birthdays. The best news of all is that people have
birthdays 365 days a year, spread out over 12 months. Birthdays are the perfect time to encourage additional business.

"Use the information gathered in your database to send out birthday cards for each VIP customer as you recognize one of the most important days in their lives. Their celebrations might as well happen at your restaurant. Always include a FREE offer such as a FREE dinner for the birthday guest.
Remember that birthday guests rarely party alone; the average size of a birthday group is five individuals," says Horn.

Go out of your way to make the birthday party a special event when a customer redeems his/her certificate. Your restaurant needs to become the "Party Place." Develop definite policies to ensure that it happensกชthat the parties are fun and your birthday guest is treated like royalty for
their day. You must create a special party atmosphere. One Northwest seafood chain has a crazy fish hat that the birthday person wears while they take a Polaroid or digital photo of the birthday guest and his/her friends. The photo is then slipped into a cardboard photo holder and becomes a
nice takeaway remembrance of the evening. Of course, the restaurant's name and address is on the card. If you include a "year" sticker, it can become a collectable item.

Celebrate Anniversaries:
Another great marketing campaign can be centered on your VIP customers' anniversaries. Forty-three percent of American couples say they go out to eat to celebrate their wedding anniversaries. If you own a fine dining restaurant,
try to make your guests dining experience special and romantic. Doing "little extras" is what will set your restaurant apart from the competition. Value-added incentives are more important than discounts on anniversaries. You must
make it a "special occasion."

Quick Service Restaurants and Pizza Shops can effectively wish mom and dad a happy anniversary by giving them a great offer for their children's meals that way, Mom doesn't have to cook for the children before she goes out to dine.
This let's the children celebrate the anniversary too.

Advertise Specials or New Menus:
"With a marketing database, you are prepared to communicate with your regular customers. It's a great way to introduce a new menu or a new menu item. Always include some special offer just for VIP members," says Horn.

Many companies have developed a newsletter for VIP members. Others are sending out e-newsletters. This is a great way to say thank you to your frequent customers. It's also a great medium to tell them about new menu items,
new employees, and new recipes. All this helps to make our customers take an interest in your restaurant and keep your restaurant's name in front of your VIP members. Be sure to make the newsletter newsy and fun to read. Always include some sort of incentive for those members to stop by for a
meal. Change your incentive in each newsletter and track the results.

Sponsor Contests:
One restaurateur saw a substantial increase in VIP member visits when she started having a weekly drawing. She sent out a postcard to the VIP members and asked them to bring in the postcards for a FREE offer. When redeemed, the
postcards were entered into a weekly drawing for a free lunch or "Dinner For two". Monthly drawings were also held with prizes such as a digital camera, CD player, clock radio, etc. Grand Prize Drawings held twice a year gave away a
grandfather's clock or a cruise. With every mailer, she reminded her customers of the grand prize drawings.

Additional Celebrations:
Create theme nights to attract your VIP members back to your restaurant. Tie your theme occasions with holidays. For instance, February is National Chocolate Lover's Month. Offer your VIP members a special chocolate dessert promotion for the month of February. One creative Italian restaurant
owner did a VIP promotion for its St. Patrick's Day celebration. He sent out an email invitation saying, "Come party with real Italians on St. Patrick's Day. We'll show you how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style." Any holiday will
do. One restaurant celebrated Agatha Christie's Birthday by offering a surprise entree special.

Remember that the number of dollars that a customer is going to spend is limited. To get more than your share, you are frankly going to have to
take them away from your competition Effective marketing will help you get a larger share of your customer's dollars and includes the tools to track
each and every promotion to determine your customer response and return on investment. With good marketing and tracking you will be able to
keep your restaurant in Top OF Mind awareness with your customers.

"It's not your customer's job to remember you. It's your obligation and your responsibility to make sure the customer doesn't forget you! An effective VIP
Club will do just that," says Horn.

Create Marketing Magic With The Right Color

2009-02-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

Colors have a hypnotic effect on people. Many people feel drawn to azure blue, for instance.

The odd thing about blue is that it can make you feel trusting. It is subtle. You are probably not aware of it. Other colors work in the same way. Shades of colors also have a subtle effect on your mood. Bars are often decorated in dark shades of red, grey or blue in order to soothe customers into staying. Kindergartens are filled with pastel shades to keep children happy.

How can a color help sell your product? Easy. It can put your customer in the buying mood. You can color anything your customer sees – your product, its packaging, the website, sales materials or your logo. If you choose the right color, you could send people scrambling for their wallet.

Here are some colors and their power:

* Blue is an all-time favorite. If you use blue, people see you as trustworthy. It is conservative and solid. Blue is the color for little boys because according to folklore, baby boys are born in the blue shadow under a cabbage. Good products and services for blue are boys’ clothes, jewelry, travel, insurance, business services and art.

Blue exerts another extraordinary effect: it curbs the appetite. Dieters sometimes eat in blue light, from a blue plate in a blue-colored room. It odd thing is – it works. They do not eat as much.

* Red signals excitement – and danger. It makes people feel expectant. It is often used for introducing a new product. Some good products for red are security products, toys, sports accessories, cars, children’s clothing and pet products.

* Pink is a calming color. Pink is used to sell girls’ clothes and toys as well as cosmetics. Pink shades and lampshades soften the light in a room. A sales price printed in pink tends to make it appear less expensive. Perhaps, it is the calming effect at work. Pink is also pure innocence. Little girls are given the color because ancient folklore has it that girl babies are born in the heart of a rose. *Yellow grabs the eye. In fact, it is the first color babies recognize. It gives off a secure feeling. It is excellent for children’s clothing, health services, vitamins, pet items, music, flowers and household appliances.

* Cream is serious and elegant. It is good for costly items. It
is used in women’s fashions, interior design, linen, bedding,
kitchens and books.

* Grey is serious. Light grey is efficient and sleek. It is good for men’s fine clothing, silverware, machinery, genealogy and family crests. The walls of office buildings are often light grey. Dark grey is ultra serious.

* Green expresses freedom, purity and spaciousness. A soothing color, it goes well with food, water, cooking, flowers, house shutters and doors. Light green is associated with money and ties in with the stock market and business.

* Purple is commanding and sure. In olden days it was used only for royalty. It gives the impression of quality and works well for exclusive and costly items. It is used for heirlooms, books, music and memberships in exclusive clubs.

* Orange makes you look twice. It says: danger is near. It is a bold, hot color that works well with sports clothes, games, camping gear, outdoor vests and children’s apparel.

Business Card Design That Works

2009-02-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of business cards being circulated by countless businesses nowadays, but the truth is most people only keep a few. The main reason is that the business card does nothing to make the people who have them want to know more about the business. There are cards that utilize loud designs that make the contact information hardly noticeable. There are letter heads which are printed in unreadable fonts and sizes, or a paper material that is way too scented or way too glossy.

Business cards have the ability to speak so much about a business. This is the reason why the design of a business card is as essential as the distribution of the cards to a greater number of people. There are many business card printing companies that are able to come up with professionally designed cards best suited to your company or business. Whether online or offline, these printing and design experts can be of great help in determining which design, color, or lay out will give your business the best possible exposure it can generate.

Although there are businesses, especially small or start-up businesses who would rather print their own business cards to save on costs, choosing a professional business card lay-out designer and printing company is a wiser option. There are in fact many ways to optimize a business card. The products or services can be enumerated on the face of the card for the clients to have a clearer grasp of what the business can offer. Unfortunately there are cards that fail to include other services which may add to the profitability of the business by increasing sales.

Furthermore, in business cards, the business logo and business name must be printed legibly on them. It is not wise to fill your card with so much information and other designs, and barely leaving enough space for your company name and logo. A business card is not a company resume, and as much as information on the company is essential, there is no sense in overdoing it.

Finally, the other side of the business card can be utilized for a number of purposes. The location map of the business may be printed, or a particular product best seller or service can be highlighted. Or the card can have a folded design so as to have more space for additional information. Business cards can do so much for any business, when optimized for exposure and sales purposes.

10 Quick Tips For Creating A profitable List

2009-02-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Building and maintaining a high quality list of subscribers is vital to any marketers success. Let’s go over some of the most important steps you need to take to ensure you build a profitable list:

1)First, make sure you put up a good landing page. It should be well-designed and professional looking. If you don’t have any design skills then hire someone to do this for you.

2)Next, put a web form on your landing page and offer your customers the opportunity to opt-in to your mailing list. Give something away free to encourage them to opt in.

3)Make sure any freebies you give away are of the highest quality, because the subscribers on your list will judge the worthiness of your products and services based on the freebies they get.

4)Include a lot of professionally written content and interesting information for your visitors. Your customers will want to read interesting things and want to look for more than just a sales pitch. Content sites are a great way to build trust and loyalty. You can build a content site jam-packed with articles and helpful information, then link to your sales page from your content site.

5)Make sure you keep your customer’s information private. If you tell your customer’s you will not share his or her personal information, then don’t share it with anyone. You will ruin your reputation, and word spreads fast on the Internet.

6)Take some time to try the product you offer yourself. Make sure it is something you consider worthy of buying. If you are selling a book you wrote, make sure it has mass appeal and will benefit the target audience you plan to market it to.

7)Provide top-notch customer service. This is THE number one way to stay ahead of the game. If your customers are happy and you resolve their questions and complaints immediately, then you will win their loyalty and trust.

8)Reward customers that refer others to you. This is a simple way to build trust and loyalty.

9)Respond to your customer’s complaints or inquiries immediately, with the goal in mind always being to satisfy your customer.

10)Remain truthful and honest in all you do. A customer will sniff out a scam faster than a dog will a bone. Don’t lie, don’t trick and don’t steal. Be honest and be who you are, and you will do well working on the Web and building your opt-in list.