Friday, March 25, 2005

Increasing Short and Long Term Profits


By Charlie Cook


"I was at your site for all of two minutes before I bought one
of your manuals. I'm impressed!" I love to get emails like this
one sent by Vicki from Tucson, Arizona. Marketing my business
would be easy if every client bought my products within two
minutes of seeing my marketing materials, or signed up for my
coaching services after a few minutes on the phone with me.

Do you make most of your sales in 2 to 20 minutes from the time
a prospect first reads your marketing copy, visits your web site
or calls you?

Neither do I. I make approximately 10% of my sales at the time
of first contact, but most prospects take weeks, months and, in
some cases, years to become clients.

As I mentioned in my marketing blog, I track sales on the day I
send out my marketing newsletter. Typically, orders for my books
begin to come in within a couple of hours. Some will be from
people who just found my web site and aren't even on my mailing
list, others will be from prospects who signed up for my
newsletter a couple of weeks ago, and still others will be from
people who have been getting my marketing materials for a six
months or even longer, sometimes as long as two years.

When Do People Buy? Prospects buy from you when they know you
exist, know which problems you solve, feel confident in your
products or services and understand their value, and, most
importantly, when they want to do something about their
situation or are ready to solve a problem. Prospects looking for
an immediate solution may buy your $149 product or $5000 service
today, but most won't want to purchase it until next month or
next year.

Increasing Profits You need a marketing strategy that helps you
increase immediate, short-term and long-term sales.

Does your current marketing strategy do this? Does it prompt
people to buy from you the first time they visit your web site
or call you, make a purchase a few weeks later and in some cases
buy from you years after their first contact?

Would you like to improve your immediate, short-term and
long-term sales? Below are marketing strategies you can use to
accomplish this.

Making Immediate Sales You want a prospect reading your
marketing materials for the first time to immediately see you as
an expert and understand the value of your products and
services. Don't make the mistake of thinking the best way to do
this is to describe products and services, credentials or list
clients.

Introduce yourself with a marketing message that describes how
you help your clients, phrased in terms of their concerns, not
yours. Follow this with a few testimonials from clients that
focus on the results you've generated.

Then describe the solution your product or service provides,
again in terms of your prospect's needs. Finally, ask for a
commitment, an order or contact information.

Generating Short Term Sales Not everyone arrives at your web
site or at the other end of the phone line ready to make a
decision. In fact, 80% of people spend two or more weeks
researching their purchasing decisions. What can you do to keep
these people interested?

First, get your prospect's contact information. Stay in touch
and continue to demonstrate your expertise and the value of your
products and services.

You may have an interested prospect, but the prospect isn't
clear on why or when they should use your product or service.
When you follow up a prospect's initial contact, give them
useful ideas they can use related to your product or service,
and take advantage of this opportunity to educate them about the
problem or concern you can help them resolve.

Improving Long Term Conversion Rates I had one prospect that I'd
talked to three or four times on the phone over the course of
two months. When they didn't respond to two follow up calls, I
stopped calling. Two months later, that is, four months after
our first conversation, they called me to say that after
researching a dozen other consultants, they'd finally decided to
use my services and at the same time had expanded the scope of
the project and the price I'd be paid. You've probably had
similar experiences.

Some prospects take even longer than four months to make a
decision to buy. Why? Because people buy based on their own
timetable, not yours. They buy when they have a need and when
they want to act on that need. Even after deciding you want a
new tax attorney or financial advisor, it might take you years
to end your relationship with your existing advisor and place
your trust in someone new.

Most people use contact management software to remind themselves
to call or write prospects. This is a first step in keeping a
potential sale alive, but a strategy of using only follow up
phone calls can fall flat when prospects don't have any news
about a project to report, haven't made a decision or just
aren't ready to make a purchase.

One effective strategy for staying in the "front of mind" of
your prospects is to use a newsletter or ezine to continually
demonstrate your expertise and remind them of ways you can help
them. Send it out biweekly or monthly, and they'll remember you
when they are ready to make a decision or a purchase.

To make sales today, next week and in months to come, give your
prospects the information they need and the solutions they want
immediately and continuously. Have a plan in place to follow up
with those who don't purchase your goods and services right
away. Keep providing the information they need to make a
decision, and you'll increase sales and profits today, tomorrow
and in the coming years.

About the author:
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small
business owners attract more clients and be more successful.
Sign up for the Free Marketing Plan eBook, for small business
owners and people responsible for marketing, '7 Steps to get
more clients and grow your business' at
http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

What's Missing From Your Marketing?


By Charlie Cook


Stuart from Colorado had talked to a number of marketing firms and gotten estimates for designing and printing his marketing materials and building a web site for his business producing
promotional cds. One firm quoted $100,000 to build his web site alone. He sensed something was missing or wrong, but couldn't put his finger on it, so he called me.

I asked Stuart how the various marketing pieces and activities were going to work together to help him generate leads. I asked him what his marketing strategy was. He drew a blank. The
marketing firms he had talked to had provided detailed information on what they were going to produce for him, but none had discussed a coordinated plan to generate leads and sales.

Marketing without an integrated strategy is like playing poker, tennis or football without knowing the rules, keeping score or having a game plan. You could put in a lot of time, energy, and capital, and still end up losing the game. Has this happened to you?

W.inning at business is the same as any other game, whether your objective is to beat the competition or just to be the best in your industry. To be successful, you need to know the rules of the game, have a clear strategy and track your progress.

The Rules for Winning at Marketing and Sales Here are some of the most essential rules to follow to succeed at marketing your business.

1. Written goals are motivating and can help you succeed. Define your objectives for revenue, lead generation and conversion rates for the year and then break those down for each quarter.
Commit them to writing. Next list the weekly and daily tasks you and/or your employees need to accomplish in order to reach your goals.

2. The more qualified prospects you can attract, the more clients you'll have. A clearly defined lead generation strategy will bring in the new prospects you need to be profitable.

3. It's easier to convert prospects to clients when they are looking to solve a problem. It's much harder to convert people who don't have a current need or concern, even if they are
members of your target market. Instead of seeking prospects, prompt prospects to look for you.

4. You'll get a better response from marketing messages that are focused on client problems and concerns, not on your credentials or descriptions of products and processes. If you're not getting
the response you'd like from your mailings, ads or web site, take a second look at your marketing message. A few changes in your marketing copy can increase response by factors of ten or more.

5. Integrate your tactics and message across your marketing materials, ads, and web site to prompt people to seek you out and contact you. Trying to generate leads without an integrated
strategy is like playing football without a set of plays for the quarterback to use with the team. He'd end up throwing the ball only to find the receiver had gone the other direction or go for
a field goal on the first down.

6. The purpose of having a web site is to generate leads. Once you have a lead you can use it to generate sales. Once you get prospects to your web site or reading your marketing materials,
make sure you prompt them to contact you.

7. Most sales are the result of a relationship based on your credibility and the value of your products or services.
Developing these relationships can take weeks or months to build. Your marketing strategy should facilitate this process of building relationships over time, with multiple opportunities
for contacting prospects.

8. The easiest people to sell to are past customers. Prompt first time clients to buy from you again and again.

Keeping Score In order to know if your marketing is working you need ways of keeping score. Which marketing results are you tracking? Which additional ones should you define each month and quarter to track?

Keep track of these important 'scores' to evaluate your marketing:

1. How many prospects seek your firm out each month? Is this number growing each month by five to ten percent?

2. What percentage of people who are exposed to your ads, your web site and other marketing materials give you their contact information so you can stay in touch with them?

3. How many people are on your house list of qualified prospects? How fast is this list growing each month?

4. How many people buy from you each week? What is the dollar volume of each sale?

5. How many sales come from repeat customers?

Whether we're talking poker, tennis, or marketing your small business, the objective is to improve your performance and succeed more often. When you have a game plan, know the rules
and track your scores, you can continually find ways to improve your marketing and be more successful.

About the author:
2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals and small
business owners attract more clients and be more successful.
Sign up for the Free Marketing Plan eBook, for small business
owners and people responsible for marketing, '7 Steps to get
more clients and grow your business' at
http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

Friday, March 11, 2005

How to Write Your News Release


by George Torok


Follow this step-by-step process to write and expose your news.

FORMAT

Call it a 'News Release', 'News Bulletin' or 'Announcement'.
'Press Release' sounds like propaganda.

Add, 'For immediate use'. This implies urgency. It also allows
them some choice on when to run it. If the news is date
sensitive state 'for use before' or 'for use after'.

Fax or mail? If urgent - fax. But to get noticed mail it. They
get a lot of junk mail and junk fax. The fax junk looks too much
alike. If you mail it you have a chance to get attention with
the colour and feel of the paper. Send it on good quality paper
with your logo. That could be your letterhead.

Don't address it to 'newsroom' or 'editor'. That's the same as
'occupant'. Instead address it to a person. Get their name.

Make it easy to read. Maximum one page. Use easy to read font.
Twelve point size Times Roman works well. Add a little spice by
bolding key names - but sprinkle lightly. Italics draws
attention but is hard to read. Use capitals and small letters -
don't print the whole thing in capital letters. That is
extremely difficult to read. Keep paragraphs and sentences
short. Double spacing is best.

Make it clear whom the release is from. Lead with city and date
of the release. This gives perspective. At the bottom of the
page state, 'The end' or '- 30-' Show contact name(s) and phone
number(s) clearly at the bottom or top of the page.

Make sure those contacts receive a copy of the release and that
they will be available and prepared to talk to the press when
called. Impress on those contacts that the press need speedy
responses to make their deadlines.


CONTENT

Start with a strong title. A subtitle is not necessary if the
title is strong. Study newspaper headings for ideas. Examine the
style of the target media you are trying to reach to get ideas.

You have only one chance to hook them with the title. If you do
not, they will not read any further. One glance at the headline
is how they preview the release. There must be words, themes,
companies, personalities or issues in the title that slows their
glance enough to invite them to read the first paragraph.

The first sentence must grab them. Rework that first sentence
until the first few words or even the first word pulls the
reader in.

The first paragraph is important. It should contain your most
important message. If they read that far - it is what draws them
into the story. Write that first paragraph as if that might be
the only paragraph they print.

Follow with the next points in order of decreasing importance.
Assume that they might chop it after any paragraph. Write each
paragraph applying the same approach to your sentences. If they
only print one sentence make that the first sentence.

Good news releases are not written , they are re-written and
re-written.

Make it easy to read. Maximum one page. Use easy to read font.
Twelve point works well. Add a little spice by bolding key names
- but sprinkle lightly. Italics draws attention but is hard to
read. Use capitals and small letters - don't print the whole
thing in capital letters. That is extremely hard to read. Use
many short paragraphs and short sentences. Double spacing is a
very good idea.

Proof read before you send it. Journalists are especially
sensitive to poor grammar and typos. It hurts to read garbage -
so they won't.

The media will read your release thinking, 'Will this interest
my readers, listeners or viewers and is it unique?' It doesn't
have to be 'very' unique - just a little. Every January we get
news about the first News Year's baby. Because the first one is
unique at that time, the second is not news.

Relate the news to the reader. Why is it important to the
readers, listeners, or viewers of the media? Test for
significance by asking, 'So what?'

Answer a reporter's key questions: who, what, why, where, when
and how. You could even use these questions as sub headings - or
as a summary. Use these questions as a quality test before you
send it.

Quotes are good and more interesting. You might use quotes from
company officials, community leaders or customers. When you use
a name always state who they are, e.g. National Sales Manager,
President and Founder, author of. Use quotes that evoke emotion,
create controversy or present a position.

Don't introduce too many new names. This confuses readers. Talk
about one or two.

Write the name in full the first time you use it. After that you
can use only the last name. If you want a name to be remembered
use it several times in the release.


AFTER THE RELEASE

The reporter(s) may call for more information or to arrange a
photograph. Be available. If you are out of the office check
your voice messages often. The press has tight deadlines.

Don't expect to review the reporter's article before
publication. Occasionally they will run the article exactly the
way you wrote it - but not often. Once you give them the
information they have control. It helps if you have read other
articles from the reporter and know their slant and hot buttons.

If they use your news release, send them a thank you note.

Keep and file all your news releases in sequence - even the ones
that did not get action. Clip and save the articles that ran
with the release. Study them to find what works with whom and
when.

See you in the news!

==============================================
About the author:
© George Torok is co-author of the national best-seller,
'Secrets of Power Marketing', Canada's first guide to personal
marketing for 'non-marketers'. He delivers seminars & keynotes
to corporations and associations across North America. You can
reach him at 800-304-1861 For more information about seminars
and more marketing tips visit www.Torok.com

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

The 3 MOST Powerful Forms Of 'Viral Marketing' That PUT Your 'Opt-In' List Building On 'Auto-Pilot'!

Author: Cory Threlfall


EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it.

"The Money Is In The... LIST!"

I bet you've heard this catch phrase once or twice while surfing
around on the Internet.

I know I have.

But, the question that usually arises is... "How do I
effectively build one that won't cost me an arm and a leg in the
process?"

Well, today's your lucky day because I'm going to highlight 3 of
the MOST powerful ways to build your targeted 'Opt-In List' by
using the Power of 'Viral Marketing' as your engine.

And the best part about using these 3 'Viral' methods I'm about
to mention are... they cost virtually Nothing to produce, are
Highly targeted, give You INSTANT Credibility and are in
constant demand by website owners.

So, with that said, let's move on to what these 3 'Viral'
methods are and how they will benefit you and your List Building
efforts.

1. Writing 'Special Reports'.

- Special Reports work great because they allow you to go into
more depth about the Topic or Problem in question where you'll
then be able to lead them to how your Product or Service(or
Affiliate product) can fix there current problem.

- They give you Instant Credibility, which builds trust in your
customer that you are knowlegdable in your industry.

- Website owners are always looking for quality **Free Stuff**
to give away or offer to there Visitors and/or Subscribers.

This is where you could CASH-IN, especially if you make your
special report 'Brandable'. This gives the website owner even
MORE incentive to give your Freebie away if they can make Money
in the process.

- And your Contact Information will always be inside, no matter
what. Meaning, as your report is being passed around the
Internet you'll always be able to lead your potential customer
back to your website where they could sign-up for your
newsletter and/or read up more about your Products or Services
you offer.

2. Putting Together A 'Free eBook'.

- Free eBooks work great as well and have the same benefits as
I outlined through the special report.

The only difference using this approach is, you can put
together a free ebook in less time then it would take to produce
your special report simply because it doesn't even have to be
your own material inside, it can be someone else's.

Just make sure you put together a free ebook with quality
information inside.

- And they also allow you to target more then one Product or
Service inside because free ebooks are usually a compilation of
related articles targetting a particular problem leaving you
room to diversify.

3. Writing 'Articles'.

- Writing Articles is probably ONE of the Best and Most
Effective Ways to produce a wave of Viral traffic to your
website because every website owner needs FRESH content to feed
to there visitors and/or subscribers.

- They also allow you to Target your audience's problem
specifically that they're dealing with.

- And at the end of the article you have a spot called the
'Resource Box' to insert your personal Bio and/or Website
information.

Just imagine if your article were to be picked up by some
Newsletter Editor with a large list or High Traffic website and
they use it as a 'Featured Article' in there publication, you
could see an INSTANT Surge of targeted traffic to your website
overnight.

That's where your 'Resource Box' comes in.(Take a look at how
mine is formatted at the end of this article.)

Well, that about sums it up for the 3 MOST powerful 'Viral
Marketing' methods being used today by most Internet marketers,
and for good reason, because they work.

Now, with all that said, what do these 3 'Viral' methods all
have in common that'll put your List Building efforts on
'Auto-Pilot'?

- They're in HIGH demand by website owners.

- They're HIGHLY Targeted.

- They give You INSTANT Credibility in your industry.

- They have YOUR Contact Details leading to Your website.

...and Most important of all, they're all FREE!

Just think for a minute, by using only ONE of these methods
listed above, how it could put your Opt-In list building efforts
on 'Auto-Pilot'.

This article represents just a summarized version of all the
different List Building techniques available online, But, in my
opinion, these 3 are the most effective.


=============================================
About the author:
Want 'Targeted' prospects to swarm your site 24/7? It takes 5
minutes to set-up, it's Automated, 'Viral' and FREE! --
http://compactURL.com/bwjm -- Or you can pick up a FREE copy of
Cory Threlfall's New special report called, "How To Tap Into The
TRUE Power Of The... INTERNET!" at --
http://www.internetwondersezine.com/sar_report.html

Sunday, March 06, 2005

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Saturday, March 05, 2005

Guaranteed Ways to Build Up Your Ezine List

By Suzanne Falter-Barns


Want your ezine list to catch fire and really start to fill up?
Jenna Glatzer took her own list from the hundreds all the way to
75,000 in 7 years by simple, steady marketing, and using many of
these techniques. (Jenna bought only 4000 opt-in names along the
way.) Here are some tips we provided, and some I've pulled from
my own experience, building my list for The Joy Letter to 17,000
over five years.

1.Free Stuff. Pick genuinely useful free stuff that you know
your audience wants and needs. For instance, my brand new ezine,
Expert Status, attracted 600 readers in just a few weeks by
offering a report, "25 Top Self Help Literary Agents". The
practical freebie works. Jenna Glatzer offers two free
ebooks/reports to subscribers on agents who are receptive to new
writers, and on writer's markets. She notes: "Before I did that,
my subscriber numbers were in the hundreds, not thousands.

2.Put a subscribe box on every page of the site. This has worked
for both Jenna and me. Mine is parked in the left hand column of
the site. Experts advise putting a simple sign up box (with
freebie mentioned) in the top left hand corner, as that's where
the eye naturally travels first. A simple sign up box that
requests only email address works best.

3.Ad swaps. Exchange plugs for your ezine with another website,
to run in each other's ezines. Be sure to mention those
freebies! Doing this on a regular basis with a rotating
selection of web partners will keep your subscription page busy.

4.Cross-registration. I've found subscribers by having a plug
for my ezine on the thank you page of a comparable (but not
directly competitive) website. This offer is made to folks who
just signed up for an ezine, and are therefore deemed 'in the
mood for more.' Offer a swap with your site, and try not to list
more than about two other ezines. Also, make a point of
including only really good, reliable publications that reach
your target market.

5.Give away a bonus for other sites to use, based on your ezine.
A popular web marketing technique is the special one or two-day
promo that offers big bonus lists when you buy a certain product
on those particular days. (I cover this promo technique in more
detail in my e-book/binder, Get Known Now; How to Build Your
Platform as a Self Help Expert.) So collect some of your best
ezine essays, pack 'em up in a downloadable PDF-based e-book,
and offer it as a bonus these sites can use in their special
promos. Don't forget juicy descriptive copy about your ezine,
and a subscribe link at the end of your e-book. I've gotten
hundreds of new readers this way, and much traffic to my site.

6.Announce ezine 'events' on PRweb.com and other PR sites.
There's an entire world of web-based press release distribution
services out there, some of which are low cost or even free. So
use them. But be sure to only plant press releases that are
truly newsworthy, and thus likely to get press attention. Even
if the media don't use your words this time, they'll hopefully
file you as an expert for future use.

7.Use discussion boards or groups. These are sites frequented by
gangs of people interested in the same thing. Avoid the
unmoderated sites, because they're likely to be spam targets
that generate little bonafide traffic. Boards found on member
sites are the best. Don't spam the board with your subscribe
message. Instead, offer some genuinely helpful info. Then sign
off with a signature line that includes ezine and subscribe
info. You can find some of these groups at groups.yahoo.com,
topica.com, mail-list.com, and listfool.com for starters.

8.Sponsor other people's contests. Jenna Glatzer gives away
products like her paid newsletter, Absolute Markets Premium
Newsletter, to writers' groups, contests, and conferences that
request it, regardless of size. I've tried this too, to good
effect. Simply run an announcement in your ezine that you'd be
happy to sponsor comparable events. Ask them to provide a URL
for an event description so you know it's legit. Then offer up
your gifts, and ask for a plug for your ezine and for them to
talk up your dazzling freebie, as well. Jenna notes that groups
she sponsors "often send out ads for us to their lists . just as
a thank you."

9.Run quality content. There's no substitute for heartfelt
writing plus solid information about a subject that matters.
Jenna writes: 'The main reason our list stays so big is our
'letter from the editor' . Each week, I chronicle my writing
life and my triumphs and failures . when an article is killed,
when I'm having trouble finishing a book . And I share personal
things, too, like when my grandfather died.. People write: ' I
feel like I know you so well.' And I think that's why they stay
on the list, even when their mailbox fills up with dozens of
other writer's newsletters.

10.Allow reprints. Allow any newsletter that wants to reprint
your articles do so. I like to have an email requesting
permission, so I can enter their info into a big database I use
to track where I can send more articles in the future. I end
each article with the line: You may reprint this article in your
own ezine or website. Simply send an email requesting permission
to EMAIL ADDRESS. Please be sure to include our full bio box at
the end.

11.Create a survey or contest. This would be one of those
newsworthy 'ezine events' I mentioned above in point # 6. Make
it a fun, relevant question that you could really develop a
good, newsy story from. I did a survey asking people what they
fought with their spouse/partner/boy or girlfriend about. The
results made for the kind of reading offline media enjoy running
short, 100-word pieces about (fillers.) I made sure to attribute
the survey to my ezine, The Joy Letter, with a mention of the
site's basic URL. You can get the technology to run your own
survey and collect responses at surveymonkey.com (for a fee) or
bravenet.com (for free.)

I think I could actually go on and on here. The possibilities
seem to be endless. If you try even half of these techniques on
a regular basis, you'll find your subscriber rates double and
even triple. Here's to building your list . the foundation that
much of your traffic and success rely on.



About the author:
Suzanne Falter-Barns' website at getknownnow.com offers tips and
tools that help you build your platform and get known as an
expert in your field. Sign up for her free ezine, Expert Status,
and receive her free report, "25 Top Self Help Literary Agents."

Blogs: You'll love the marketing potential

By Jim Fisher, President of IdeaStar Inc.

The Internet revolution is responsible for two of the dumbest
names in business. The first is the "Web." Try telling your
grandmother what you do for a living with that name. The next is
the "blog." Most people have heard about blogs (short for Web
logs). There are millions of them - most with little commercial
value, but many with significant social, political or cultural
merit.

However, that is changing. The business community is beginning
to embrace blogs for their marketing and commercial potential.
Business blogs that are well-written, focused on topics relevant
to customers, employees, and interest groups are becoming the
new company "voice."

Blogs offer a new way to communicate with clients, potential
clients, and any interested parties. Popular forms of business
communication include press releases, newsletters and
e-newsletters, Web sites and mailings. But these are all one-way
communications. Blogs offer the opportunity to interact and
create a dialogue about a product or service.

Recently, e-mail newsletters helped "push" a business message to
an "opt-in" audience. But spam filters, which battle increased
junk e-mailings, may prevent a message from reaching its
intended target. Today, people come directly to blogs for
information. There is a twist. They subscribe to RSS (Real
Simple Syndication) feeds, which notify a subscriber's news
aggregator (like Bloglines) that the blog has new posts.

Business blogs can be simple, light-hearted stories,
straightforward informational articles or brief commentaries
about news and issues. Each opens an opportunity for discussion
about your product or service.

Blogs also serve as sources for journalists who cover particular
markets, such as insurance, the automotive industry, or consumer
goods. Using blog aggregators, they can track your blog and
quickly browse your posts for story ideas. Wouldn't it be great
to get a call from the Wall Street Journal for your expert
opinion? More and more, journalists are finding the uninhibited,
self-expression of blog writers as better sources than the
hand-picked and prepped "experts" provided by public relations
agencies.

I've become a blog "evangelist" at IdeaStar, encouraging the
creation of two new blogs - IdeaStar: The Flipside and
InsuraTech. The "voice" of a blog is very important - who is
speaking and what is the message? We decided the "voice" for the
IdeaStar blog should be in the third person reporting on the
humorous, quirky and personal side of our company. Through the
blog, our clients, prospects and business associates can get to
know us personally. This is important for service companies like
IdeaStar. We leave the more formal stuff for our Web site and
e-newsletter.

The other blog, InsuraTech, is written in the first person. Mike
Wise, IdeaStar Vice President of Insurance Technologies,
presents his thoughts, real-world observations, and examples -
good and bad - regarding the use of Internet technology in the
insurance industry. IdeaStar built a national reputation in the
insurance community for its excellence in Web-enabling services.
The blog helps to establish Mike as an expert and opinion
leader. As the number of posts grow, we expect a dialogue to
begin within the market.

I began my own blog in earnest over a year ago. It is a personal
blog. I post photography, reviews of music or gadgets, and some
social commentary. But most important, my blog serves as a way
for me to understand this new tool from a user's perspective.

For example, I posted some pictures I took of the Cleveland
Cavaliers. As usual, I captioned each shot, including one of
Lebron James. That particular photo was captioned, "This would
make a great wallpaper." Within a couple days, my blog was in
the top ten on Google for Lebron James wallpaper. That is
fantastic from a marketer's perspective. (But not from a
personal one. I took the picture down the next day.)

Like the Internet itself 10 years ago, blogs are here to stay.
Figuring out how to produce an effective blog takes practice. It
is better to get your hands around this new technology now and
see what it does rather than wait. If you don't there will be
the next climatic technology revolution with a silly name for us
to learn.

About the author:
Jim Fisher is president of IdeaStar, Inc. which designs,
develops, manages and promotes leading-edge Web sites.
http://www.ideastar.com http://www.insurance-technologies.com
http://wazopia.blogspot.com http://ideastar.blogspot.com
http://insuratech.blogsot.com

Thursday, March 03, 2005

5 Easy Ways to Create Great Info Products


By Debbie LaChusa
http://www.10stepmarketing.com

So you've decided to start publishing an e-newsletter, or you'd like to develop a Special Report as an added-value for your customers, or maybe you've even decided to teach a teleclass or a seminar as a way to bring prospects into your business.

So now you have to decide what you’re going to write or speak about. So just how do you come up with the content?

Well, you can start with looking at the knowledge you have that could truly benefit your prospects and customers. What do you know a lot about, that your customers and prospects don't? What information could you provide that could help them to improve their business, or make them happier, or show them a different way to do something, or provide them with tips on how to buy or use the product or service you provide?

The key is finding out what information your prospects and customers need or want most. Asking them is the easiest way to find out, and it is a great way to generate content for your info products.

If you have made arrangements to speak to a group, ask the person coordinating your talk if there is a way to survey the group as to their most important questions relative to your line of business.

For example, if you offer Wellness Coaching Services and you are speaking to a group of corporate executives, find out what their burning questions are related to wellness.

In a corporate environment, they should be able to quickly and easily compile this information via an email sent out to all employees who have been invited to your talk. Knowing that your goal is to speak directly to their concerns, they will probably be more likely to attend as well. When you get the results of your survey, look for common or recurring questions and focus your talk on the answers to these questions. Save any remaining questions as topics for your e-newsletter. You can use this as an incentive to get attendees to register for your e-newsletter by saying at the end of your talk “If I didn’t cover your most pressing question, I invite you to register for my free e-newsletter where I will address all remaining questions.”

Here are five more ways to generate ideas and content:

1. Add a page to your web site where visitors can submit questions. You could title it "What is your most pressing question about [insert your topic of expertise here]. Make sure the page is visible and accessible from all of your web pages. Consider promoting this service throughout your web site to drive people to that page to submit a question.

2. Purchase the domain name "askYOURNAME.com" (where "YOURNAME" is your first and last name) and publicize it as a service and great place for consumers to get their most pressing questions, in your subject area, answered. Registering domains is cheap, and you can always point it to a page in your existing web site if you don't want to pay additional web hosting fees.

3. Include an email address, or web page address, in your e-newsletter or any other form of regular communication, inviting your prospects and clients to submit their questions. Odds are if one prospect or client has a question, there are many others who also have the same question.

4. If you do presentations or seminars already, hand out a survey at the end to find out what attendees liked best about your presentation (it's always a good idea to get feedback anyway), and to find out if there are other relevant areas they would like to see you speak on, or if they have questions they'd like answered.

5. Keep your eyes open and your customers in mind when you read trade publications, magazines or newspapers. If you come across something you think would be of interest to your prospects and customers, share it. Is something going on in the news that is relevant to your product or service? Write about it.

In addition to using this information to drive newsletter or presentation content, you can also use it to develop articles and content for your website, or to write Special Reports, Tips Sheets, or How-To Guides you can sell or use for marketing to your prospects and customers.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketing

Keywords: low cost marketing, e-newsletter, e-zine, seminars, special reports
=====================================================
About the Author
Debbie LaChusa, San Diego, CA, USA
debbie@10stepmarketing.com
http://www.10stepmarketing.com
20-year marketing veteran, author, consultant, teacher and coach Debbie LaChusa has developed The 10stepmarketing System to help small business owners successfully market their business, themselves. To learn more about this simple, step-by-step program and to sign up for her FREE audio class and FREE weekly ezine featuring how-to articles, tips and advice, visit http://www.10stepmarketing.com

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

How To Triple Your Online Profits With Just 7 Simple Articles

by Jeff Smith


Hello everyone, today let's touch on the single biggest profit generator you MUST have to earn BIG money online.

I call it the MAGIC minicourse.

If you don't have your own multi-part, automated minicourse then you are throwing sales and profits away.

When you wake up, do you go down to your closest busy sreet corner and begin handing out $20 bills - day in, day out?

That's what you are doing by NOT giving your traffic a chance to get your valuable, automated e-minicourse.

Maybe you've tried writing your own minicourse -- or worse yet, can't find the time to put one together...the good news is that the formula I've found to work best is very simple to follow, no matter how good a writer you are.

Now, developing your own automated, profit-producing minicourse is easier than developing 7 articles - but you HAVE to know the system.

So what is the magic system?

After trying 14 different formulas for creating a minicourse email series that actually converted readers into customers I had pretty much given up hope.

I finally broke down and decided to look at someone I KNEW had a system that worked.

That system ended up to be this one:

Automate Income Streams - How To Write A Minicourse

Turns out I was doing a bunch of things wrong.

In fact, pretty much everything I WAS doing was directly the opposite of what works - figures right?

Hmmm. Sounds too good to be true?

One thing I was doing wrong was trying to educate rather than create anticipation.

You see, I thought the more information you throw at someone, the more likely they are to love me and buy my product.

Know what?

Dead Wrong!

The fact is that the average surfer is CONFUSED by all the information and choice they see. They want clarify NOT pages of information. They want answers not a story.

So, how do you use this information to make your e-minicourse more successful?

Tip 1: Write less, be clear and arrange your information the way your buyer wants to see it.

Tip 2: You need to strategically place the single biggest desire your prospect has in each lesson - 1 per lesson only. Remember you are trying to UN-CONFUSE your visitors.

Tip 3: You need to include a case study and testimonial

Tip 4: You can (and MUST) advertise your product well, but it must be done in a very specific way.

Tip 5: Tell your reader WHAT to do and leave the HOW to do it as the "bait" to purchase your product. It's a formula that works everytime if applied just right.

This all may sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple if you can see it in action.

If you are still confused, and want to get it right now, then immediately go and get this clear book:

Automate Income Streams - How To Write A Minicourse


What makes this information so valuable is that you can simply copy the template included in this ebook, apply it to your market and in hours have your own powerful, automated money machine 24-hours per day, 7-days a week.

Wouldn't you rather be spending your time on something ELSE while your online business works for YOU?

Keywords: Online marketing, internet marketing, writing, minicourse, Jeff Smith

About the Author
Jeff Smith, Kanata
jeff@infoproductcreator.com
http://www.highertrustmarkting.com

Learn How To Quickly and Easily Create Your Own Money-Making eBooks, Reports and Information-based Products To Sell Online For Profit: Free 7-part Formula Tells You How http://www.infoproductcreator.com/ebook/

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

"10 Immutable Laws Of Successful Selling"

- by Laurence Winmill

(c) Laurence Winmill. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.BookShaker.com



How would you describe yourself as a Salesperson?

Talkative, Caring, Outgoing, Confident?

Perhaps you regard yourself as a Trained Professional, or a Self Taught Enthusiast or perhaps you simply believe you were born with a Natural Gift. Whatever you believe there are certain characteristics and disciplines that you must display with consistency if you are to become truly Successful as a Professional Salesperson.

Here are ten laws...

1. Customer Focused - People do business with people they like and trust. In order to gain respect and trust you have to build rapport with your customers. You must listen to their "Wants" and then give them what they "Need" and then under promise and over deliver, exceeding expectations at every given opportunity.

2. Attitude - It's Attitude that makes the absolute difference. It is your number one differentiator, the quality that separates you from the rest. Attitude is the small word that makes the big difference and sets apart the Winners from the Losers.

3. Communication Skills - Train yourself to become a Great Listener. It's the exceptional listener that identifies Customer's Needs and Wants and then talks passionately about his or hers products and services in relation to those Needs.

4. Empathy & Drive - You must have both these qualities if you are serious about Selling. You have to be able to put yourself in the Customers situation and understand how you would be thinking and feeling if you were them. But this alone is not enough; you must also have an in built desire to succeed at every opportunity. You are passionate about Selling and your desire for success pushes you above and beyond ordinary results. You simply want to be recognised as "One of the Best at what you do".

5. First Impressions - You get one opportunity to make a good impression. The first 10 seconds are critical. Voice, Appearance, Presentation, Body Language and Words all crammed into a 10 second introduction. Make sure yours makes a lasting impression.

6. Two Way Communication - The key to two way communication is the ability to ask the right type of questions, which build rapport whilst encouraging the Customer to talk about their "Wants" and more importantly their "Needs". You skilfully steer the conversation, probing the answers until you are certain that a " Need" has been identified.

7. Organisational Skills - Good Sales Professionals have to be organised. They know the importance of Business Planning, Territory Management, Customer Prospecting and Profiling.
They also understand that organisation is the key to building a better business, because they always find time to exceed their Customers Expectation Levels.

8. Objective Learning - Focus on learning how to get better at what you do. Read books, watch videos, network and use your brain's full potential. Push yourself to new limits.
Attend training sessions, join professional selling organisations and seek qualifications in subjects relevant to what you do. Become recognised as a Sales Professional and fulfil your true potential.

9. Work Life Balance - Find time for family and friends.
Have an interest outside of work and spend quality time with those closest to you. Never lose sight of your roots, show real interest in those around you and apply the same desire for success in this area as you do in your professional life.

10. Goals - Set yourself targets - Set them daily, weekly, monthly, annually, for life and review regularly. "A person going nowhere always get there", so avoid being this person by mapping out some realistic targets and goals. The key word is realistic because when you get use to achieving targets and goals, you'll effectively create a habit that will be difficult to break - and more importantly it's a habit you will not want to break!

So there you have it, ten simple but highly effective disciplines for "Better Results In Any Selling Environment".

Good luck and make your start today!

=======================================
Who else wants to boost their personal
influence? Laurence Winmill makes
selling and influence easier - quicker.
Buy his books at http://www.BookShaker.com
=======================================