3 Simple Selling Tactics

Writen by Bob Leduc

The following 3 simple selling tactics produce sales by responding to the way customers normally think and behave. They work for any business - regardless of what you sell, how you sell or where you sell it.

1. Pay Attention to Getting Attention

Can you remember the last 3 advertising messages beamed at you? Can you remember even one of them? Most people can't ...including your prospective customers. That's because they automatically ignore the steady stream of advertising directed at them.

This illustrates a major obstacle you need to overcome before you can sell anything. You have to get your prospect's attention - and get it fast - or your sales message will be ignored.

Here are 3 proven ways you can capture a prospect's attention quickly:

* Make a dramatic statement: Example: "Even My Doctor Uses These Health Products"

* Surprise your prospects with something unexpected: Example: "Try our service without charge for one month"

* Ask a provocative question: Example: "If you're such a smart business owner why aren't you making six figures?"

Tip: Include attention getting headlines on all your web pages. Many visitors arrive at a web page then immediately click away - unless something instantly catches their attention.

2. Emphasize the Human Relationship

Prospective customers are more receptive to buying from a real person than from an impersonal company. Look for ways to create a personal relationship with your prospective customers. For example:

...If you sell face to face, spend some time early in the selling process getting to know a little about your prospects and letting them get to know you.

...If you sell online or in some other way where you don't talk with prospects, include some information about you in your presentation. What you say about yourself will have the greatest impact if it highlights why you are uniquely qualified to provide what your customer wants.

Tip: Sell yourself to make prospective customers comfortable with the selling process. But sell your company and its history of producing results to make prospective customers confident of your ability to deliver what you promise.

3. Trigger Your Customer's Imagination

Convert the benefits delivered by your product or service into vivid word pictures. Then put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.

Be specific. If you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent living without debt. If you sell boats, describe what it feels like cutting through the waves with your friends onboard. If you promote a business opportunity, describe what it feels like to be at home working without a boss.

Tip: Be sure your word pictures are dramatizing benefits and not describing features. People don't really care about the new high-tech insulation used in their beverage cooler (a feature). They just want to be able to enjoy ice cold beverages all day long on a hot day (the benefit).

These 3 selling tactics produce sales by responding to normal human behavior. Use them in your web pages, sales letters and personal presentations. The volume of business they produce will surprise you.

Copyright 2004 Bob Leduc

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

Tis The Season To Prosper Smart Holiday Marketing To Rev Up Your Revenues

Writen by Denise Corcoran

Why develop a marketing campaign just for the Thanksgiving to New Year period? It's simple.

From now until January 1, the "buyer mentality" prevails. Buyers are ready to make purchases at any time, not just while shopping. Many businesses make as much as 50% of their revenues during this period . Study these marketing strategies and adapt them to your business. Below are my top 5 strategies.

1. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR EVERY BUDGET

To maximize revenues, smart retailers develop gift ideas to fit every budget -- for example, Gifts Under $10, Under $50, Over $200, etc. How can you develop products or services to fit every budget in your business?

2. HOLIDAY PACKAGES

Holiday packages are the HOT sellers right now! Why? Because they take the "thinking" out of buying. For example, pre-package gifts of soaps, body lotion and bath salts. How can you take the "thinking" out of buying your goods or services? How can you "pre-package" multiple items to make it easy for your customers?

3. BUNDLED PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

Rather than sell single items, offer "theme" combos. For example, a holiday "wellness" gift package, including a massage, a facial and health products. Or a "tax savings" combo, including a book, tax software and a one hour consultation. How can you bundle complementary products and services to create a "theme" offering?

4. VOLUME DISCOUNTS

Make your business the one-stop shop during the holidays and beyond. Give customers an incentive to purchase multiple products and services. For example, give 25% off for orders over $100, 30% off for orders over $200, etc. How can you capitalize on volume discounts to easily increase sales?

5. "SOMETHING OF THE MONTH" CLUB

Create customer loyalty and longevity with this winning strategy. The options are endless. For example, "CD of the month" club, "restaurant of the month" club, etc. These programs work best when you give significant discounts in exchange for a long-term buying commitment of your products or services. What creative ways can you adapt this strategy to your business?

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COACH'S ACTION STEP:

"Adapt, Take Action & Multiply Your Marketing Results"

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Pick 1 of the 5 strategies that most resonates with you. Each strategy is easy to implement just in time for the holidays. Announce your new combo packages, volume discount, etc. in your Christmas or New Year's greetings, newsletter or any other holiday communications to your clients and prospects. REMEMBER: Make it easy and rewarding for customers to buy from you and they will reward you with holiday sales.

Denise Corcoran - CEO, The Empowered Business (tm) - assists CEOs, executives and business owners in taking a quantum leap from the ordinary to extraordinary … from unrealized dreams to mastering their destiny … from slow growth to exponential results. A business & leadership coach, strategic consultant and Master NLP Practioner, Denise's unique "inside out" approach provides deep transformation and lasting change in you, your organization and your results. Her latest e-book: "The Mindset of Greatness: 21 Principles to Becoming an Unstoppable Woman ... Oprah Winfrey Style!" http://www.EmpoweredBusiness.com Subscribe to her monthly ezine - The Empowered Business (tm) - and learn the legendary mindset, strategy and performance secrets of top business achievers. http://www.goldbar.net/go.php?id=7996&c=1738&ac=ezar

Selling The Arctic Monkeys Way

Writen by Chris Kilvington

Apply a bit of monkey magic to your sales and marketing

You can't argue with the numbers, can you? Their first single went straight in at number 1. Then the album shot to the top, smashing the record for fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history. The Arctic Monkeys have to be the sales success of 2006.

So, where did they come from? Internet space, of course. But, perhaps the Monkeys can teach us a little about selling and marketing products effectively. Here are some of the things they did well. Could you apply any of these pointers to your business?

Being liked

If a customer likes you, he or she is more likely to buy. What causes one person to like another? According to Sold! (by Steve Martin and Gary Colleran, 2003), having things in common with your audience is useful. I think there's something about personality too. Four strong-accented 'underdogs' from Sheffield…it works really, doesn't it?

Proof of the pudding

The proof of the pudding's in the tasting. Would your products sell better if your customers could have a try first? Before the Monkeys were signed they gave away their music online. A great way to start word-of-mouth marketing. Because, who's going to be shy of a good-quality freebie? Referrals are one of the most cost-effective ways of selling, too.

Investing in customers

Existing customers are worth investing in. As well as giving you those referrals, selling to people who have already done business with you is the most cost-effective way of marketing yourself. For their last gig, it's reported that the Arctics kept tickets prices to £8, even though the black market was selling them for £300, and the band themselves made a loss on the night. How could your business invest more in the existing interest?

Helping people buy from you

Turn 'selling to people' on it's head…how can you 'help people to buy from you'? Giving people a taster is a start. And, being front of mind when people are ready to buy is essential. Once the Monkeys had a following (and people were itching to buy the album), then the big advertising campaign was everywhere. No doubt there were some record label execs rubbing their hands together behind the scenes. But, you get the idea.

Having a good product

Of course, you can't get away from this. You have to have a good product. And you have to have a product that's attractive to the audience you're selling to. I'm guessing the 360,000 sales in the first week proves the Arctic Monkeys had a good product to sell. Having just visited Amazon, it looks like the Best of Tony Christie is already in the specials. Well it worked for a while, Tony…and fair play to you.

Chris Kilvington is the owner of TENFOUR writing (http://www.tenfourwriting.co.uk). TENFOUR helps companies and organisations create a personality through words. Content for websites, and copywriting for literature, articles, marketing and media materials.

Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps

Writen by Debbie LaChusa

What if there were things you could start doing now that could help you to market more successfully in the future? Even if you didn't have your marketing act together over the past year. Well, there are.

(1) Review your past marketing activities and results

Take some time to review all of your marketing activities and try to understand which ones worked best. And when I say "worked best" I mean, which ones resulted in more clients, more customers, more sales, or more growth for your business?

Your goal each year should be to understand which marketing activities bring you more business and which ones do not, so you can concentrate on the activities that work, and delete the ones that do not.

Even if you did not have an organized marketing plan, or marketing activities that you implemented consistently during the past year, if you are still in business today, then there must have been some form of marketing going on.

(2) Broaden your definition of marketing

Marketing isn't only things like running an advertisement, or sending out a direct mail piece. It's anything you do that puts your business, product or service in front of the prospects you are trying to sell to.

You may be surprised to realize you've been marketing more than you know!

Any time you talk to someone about your business, product or service, in person, at an event, over the phone, or through a brochure or some form of media, you are marketing. Any time you send someone an email or a thank you card from your business, you are marketing.

Be aware of any time you are communicating with current customers, or potential customers. Take the opportunity to make them aware of new products or services, special offers or programs, or even milestones or changes in your business.

Do you include your business card every time you mail a letter to a client or prospect? Do you have an email signature that includes your business name, your phone number, your email address, your website address and possibly even your tagline? You should. You are reminding people about your products and services and making it easy for them to find out more if they so choose.

If you truly believe that your products or services can enhance people's lives, then it should be easy to share the word at every opportunity. After all, if people don't know about you, they can't benefit. Put this way, it is almost a disservice to NOT market.

(3) See if you can track your sales to your marketing, either directly or indirectly

Take a look at the marketing you did do, taking into consideration all of the activities mentioned above. Can you directly or indirectly track any new or increased business to these activities? An example of direct tracking might be: You attended a networking event and someone you gave your business card to, contacted you or made a purchase.

An example of indirect tracking might be: You attended a networking event, and someone you gave your business card to, referred you to a friend, and that friend contacted you or made a purchase.

For each marketing activity you did over the past year, ask yourself the following questions:

(a) Did I get any new clients, customers or increased sales as a direct result, or an indirect result, of this activity?

(b) If the answer is yes, quantify the result by asking yourself: How many new clients, customers or sales did it generate?

If you can't seem to track your past marketing activities, consider asking your current customers how they found out about you.

You could do a survey that includes a number of customer satisfaction questions, but also includes a question to determine how they found out about you.

If you have a handful of clients that you work closely with and you really don't know how they found you, pick up the phone and ask them.

At the end of this exercise, you will have a list of all of your marketing activities, and the results connected to each one.

(4) Separate those activities that resulted in business from those that did not

Are there any activities on your list that did not result in new or additional business? If you gave these activities a good opportunity to bring you business, then maybe it's time to consider dropping these activities and trying some new ones. After all, there is no sense continuing to spend money on marketing that has not proven to be effective for your business. Even if it has worked for someone else, it may not be a good marketing activity for you and your business.

(5) Use this information to plan your marketing for next year

Plan to spend more time, energy and/or money on those activities that brought you business and sales. These activities have proven themselves to be effective for your business, product or service. So odds are if you commit more to them, they will result in even more sales.

And, if you really don't have any way to track your sales or new clients, don't beat yourself up. You are not alone. In fact, one of my biggest challenges as a marketing consultant has been to get my clients to track the effectiveness of their various marketing activities. Just make sure to remedy this now, once and for all. Commit to never implementing a marketing activity again without some way to track how effective it is.

(6) Set up a way to track all future marketing activities

Recognize the importance of tracking and make sure that you have a plan in place to track all of your future marketing activities. The simplest way to track is to simply ask each new customer where or how they found out about you.

You may also want to consider including a code on any flyers or brochures that you distribute, and providing a reason for the customer to bring that flyer in when they come to make a purchase. Reasons to return the flyer could be to take advantage of a special offer, or to get a discount or free bonus gift.

You can also do this by phone or on the Internet if that is how your customers make purchases. Simply ask them to provide you with the code on the brochure or flyer that they are calling or ordering from. Make sure the code is specific to the location or group of people that you distributed the flyer to.

If you are networking or speaking to a group and someone gives you their business card and agrees to receive your free report or e-newsletter, make sure you include a reference in your contact database of the event where you met them.

For every marketing activity you do put a plan in place to help you track all them. Effective tracking is by far one of the easiest ways to improve your marketing effectiveness. And when you zero-in on what marketing activities are most effective for your business, you will be able to focus your efforts on only those activities, and will be able to spend less and get more as a result.

(C) 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

Trade Show Goodies Tantalizing Treats

Writen by Patty Stripes

Trade show goodies can be used by applying two distinct strategies. Massively giving out trade goodies works when you can buy them at really low prices, whereas targeting qualified leads comes when you're looking for more exclusive products. When you are settled on the trade show floor you can carefully analyze what will be your global strategy for giving out your branded merchandise. Don't limit yourself by just giving out cheap trade show goodies. But then again don't limit yourself to just getting a few leads with expensive items. Use both types of strategies so as to have the biggest exposure on the trade show floor.

Giving away trade show goodies is easy when you focus on the masses. Low cost giveaways give you the advantage of being able to give out hundreds or maybe even thousands of branded products with your name on them. Items such as bags or magnets are excellent examples of what you can give away by using this strategy. By putting them in a place where trade show attendees can easily grab them, you've secured yourself a hit. Have someone to be in charge of making sure there's an ample supply of trade show goodies always available at your booth. Bu giving away cheap bags you can have people walking around showing off your logo, while they put all the other goodies in it.

Then we have the expensive trade show goodies. USB drives, polo shirts, calculators and agendas are some examples. Probably you wouldn't want to give these out in a massive fashion. Because of their higher costs, you should pay more attention on who receives them. Only give them out to leads who really show an authentic interest in your products and services.

Patty Stripes views life as one big trade show. Help yourself to her insider tips at: The Trade Show Booth

Finding Distribution

Writen by Jaci Rae

Finding a distributor is hard. It can take months and months before you find and secure a distributor, which is not an easy process for independent labels or individuals.

Don't give up or get discouraged; keep plugging away, even if you can't find a distributor after months of searching. Distributors get a lot of packages on their desks every week, so it's imperative that you contact them first before you send them a package. When calling a distributor, you may get them on the first try, or it may take you weeks before you get a live person to talk to.

If you don't contact them first, and send a package to them unsolicited, it might get tossed or sent back unopened. But you may think, 'My product is awesome! They would never do that with mine.' Sorry to bring you bad news, but your package may never get opened. As a matter of fact, it may never get past the receptionist's desk without prior clearance. So why not make sure that your product has a much better chance of getting heard by getting permission first?

For those of you who feel you could never make any cold calls, you will have to get over it, or have a friend do the calling for you. Getting through the first phone call is always tough, but then you will see, as you make more and more calls, that it gets easier every time. You are in competition with a lot of people who are making the calls. If you don't call, the chances are very slim that you will ever be heard.

If, after the first time you call, you still feel that you are just too embarrassed, try making up a character and make your call as that character. Become "Jicki Wicki" from "Nagawicki." (You never know; it could lead to an additional career of acting!) Make it a game.

It is important that you submit your CD to a distributor that distributes your kind of music. The person you send it to is not necessarily the person in charge of final decisions. From the time you start contacting them, it may take you six to eight months to get the actual product in their hands and get them to finally listen to it, before you find the right distributor. Once you finally get one, it can take an additional few months to get added to their database. Here are few words of advice on finding a distributor:

• On your first call, tell them your name and label. If you haven't picked a name yet, make one up.
• Ask about their submission and distribution policies.
• Ask if being the only act on an indie label is going to cause a problem. Many distributors will not take products from Indie labels unless they have at least three to fifteen CDs in their 'stable.' Additionally, many distributors will not take you on unless you already have established airplay. The catch-22 is that many radio stations, while they may play an independent artist, will only do so if they have national distribution.
• Ask what they want in the press kit. Some want an entire press kit with a CD (forego sending a headshot unless specifically asked for one), while others just need a letter of summary which contains recent happenings, targeting ideas, and review excerpts, if you have any. It's important to find out this information beforehand. We found out, after much wasted time and money, that several distributors only wanted the letter. They had opened the package, read the tear sheet, and thrown the rest away. Once we started calling frequently, they asked for the whole package again. What a waste of resources!
• In your letter/press kit they will want to know your "SRP," which is your Suggested Retail Price. For those of you who are unfamiliar with retail versus wholesale, retail is the price the consumer would pay in a music store and wholesale is the price the distributor pays to the product owner.

My suggestion for SRP is $11.98 - $12.98. You don't want to price yourself out of the market. When you look in a music store, most major-label artists' CDs are "on sale" for $11.98. Distributors will typically take 40-60% of your SRP as their cut (which at 40% x $11.98 gives you $7.19 per CD), and the music stores will typically mark up your SRP by $1.00 - $4.00. If you set your SRP at $11.98, and the store adds an additional $2.00 to the price of your CD, the cost to the consumer would be $13.98. However, if you set your SRP at $13.98 and the store adds $2.00, the price to the consumer would be $15.98. Which price do you think a consumer who had never heard of you would be more likely to pay?

• Double-check what style of music they currently distribute.
• Ask if they require your music to be played on a particular radio station.

There are some distributors that require you to be played on specific stations before they will distribute you. If that station does not play your genre of music, you have wasted your product, money, and time. Let me give you an example of why this is another key question. We had asked all of the above questions, with the exception of this particular one. Then we shipped off the package. When we contacted them later, they asked us if we were playing on a certain radio station. We said no.

It turned out that the station only played alternative music, while our CD is Country/Jazz. You can see the problem. When we approached them about this fact, they said they did not distribute Country Music. We asked when they stopped distributing Country Music. The gentleman we spoke with during our initial call said he was considering presenting Country Music to the company, but hadn't had the chance. He realized that we would never be played on the station on which they require airplay, so he dropped it. A great example of wasted time, effort, and money!

• Inquire where their distribution arm reaches. Ask for specific states and regions. Some distributors only distribute in certain states. If your radio airplay, live gigs, and promotion are not in those regions, they cannot help you.
• When is the best time to reach them?
• Who are some of the major stores they distribute too, and in what areas? Call several of the stores and double-check their references. If the stores have never heard of them, they may not be a legitimate distributor. Save your product from an unscrupulous person who may be trying to rip you off.

This is just a sampling of things you must do in order to obtain a distributor. Don't forget to get your music listed with iTunes, Sonymusic and all the other online distributors. Once you actually obtain a distributor it's an entirely different playing field, and a lot of work, but well worth it. For additional information, as well as contact names, address, phone numbers, email, etc., check out my book, The Indie Guide To Music Success.

Copyright 2005 Jaci Rae

Jaci Rae is the #1 Best Selling author of "Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time" ISBN 0974622907 and "The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money" ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 as well as the host of the Jaci Rae show. Dubbed by the media as "Racy Jaci" because of her quick wit and "The Rae of Hope," for her powerful insight, please make sure to check her out at: http://www.jacirae.com To hear Jaci's popular show, with some of the top behind the scenes as well as famous bands go to: http://www.jacirae.com click on the weekly show link.

Market Research An Example With Qualitative And Quantitative Research

Writen by Chris Hawkes

In a previous article "Market Research: Qualitative, Quantitative and Everything In-Between" we explained the differences between quantitative and qualitative market research studies. We also promised to provide an example of a two-phase research approach, in order to highlight the differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Here's our example:

QuickStop Convenience Stores

Once upon a time there was a very successful convenience store, we'll call it "QuickStop". At some point the management team began to worry that QuickStop wasn't being patronized by as many women as men – and that QuickStop was losing a valuable part of the market.

Research Objective

A research project was designed to understand how women felt about shopping at QuickStop stores and why. It was decided that this research should be qualitative and the specific methodology would be In-depth-Interviews. The belief was that these women might be less likely to talk about their feelings about convenience stores in a group, so one-on-one interviews made the most sense.

Qualitative Research

About two dozen current or potential female customers were paid to come into a central facility to discuss the use of convenience stores in general, and specifically QuickStop convenience stores. The results were very surprising to the management team. The major qualitative findings included the following:

1. Women viewed convenience stores to be primarily designed for men, with little or no consideration for women,
2. The bathrooms at convenience stores were believed to be the dirtiest that could be found in a city - "gross" was the most common description – and that perception permeated everything that women felt about convenience stores in general
3. QuickStop was seen as one of the worst of convenience stores "kind of the place for a man to buy gas, get a six-pack of cheap beer and cigarettes, but not the kind of place I want to go".

Quantitative Research

Once the management team had an understanding of what issues they faced with female customers, they felt that they needed to understand how broadly these beliefs were held. Now they needed to get some hard numbers, and that meant that they needed to conduct quantitative market research. The research objective for this phase of research were:

• Understand how female customers of QuickStop differ from those that don't regularly visit these stores.
• Understand whether or not a renovation of QuickStop could entice each group to visit more frequently (or at all depending on whether the respondent currently avoided QuickStop entirely).

For the quantitative phase of research they decided to conduct 250 telephone interviews with a combination of female respondents. The requirements to participate in this phase of research were that: half of the respondents stated that they had used QuickStop at least five times in the last year, and the other half admitted to intentionally avoiding QuickStop altogether, although they did use other brands of convenience stores. The major results from the quantitative phase indicated that:

1. Over 76% of all female QuickStop customers were women under 30 years old, without children, while women with children and with higher incomes were 5 times less likely to shop at QuickStop
2. The good news was that of the women who didn't currently use QuickStop, 64% said that if these stores were to update their color schemes, clean up their bathrooms and update their health and feminine products that they would be willing to try QuickStop again.

The two phases of research gave the QuickStop management team a very good understanding of where they currently stood with female customers and why. Their quantitative research also indicated that those women who were not currently using their stores would "forgive" them if the changed their ways. Their decision now was to decide if gaining more middle-aged women as customers was worth the cost of updating their stores and spending more money to keep them clean and neat.

I hope that this example has helped to clarify the different uses and benefits of both qualitative and quantitative market research.

Chris Hawkes is a Senior Market Research Consultant at http://www.MarketResearch101.com

What Is Graphic Design And How Can It Help My Business

Writen by J Lewis

Graphic design is an art and for professional results you should be utilising the skills of someone that can demonstrate relevant experience in the field of design, advertising, typography, print and the use of colour. Desktop publishing is not graphic design.

It is important that your advertising materials should be well designed to create the initial visual impact before the user reads the information or explores the website.

As the number of companies, products and services increase, an effective eye catching design is a critical element for marketing your business. An innovative design will help differentiate your company from the competition

A professional qualified graphic designer should take an individual approach to graphic design and with each clients project should produce strong creative designs appropriate for that business or service.

Graphic design done for print can be adapted for use on the web and CD ROM which means you can have strong corporate branding throughout your range of advertising materials.

High quality graphics for print should be processed by a highly regarded professional printer, one who has demonstrated that they can consistently produce high quality printed materials. Don't cut corners and for the sake of saving a few pounds use a printer that will not do the graphics justice.

Do you need to consider branding & image for your companies materials? Brands are not just for big companies, they can also make smaller businesses stand out from the crowd and can play a significant part in helping your business or services become the first choice for customers.

In increasingly competitive markets, it is important to establish a strong company (corporate) image or brand which will give potential new customers a true idea of what they are buying before they buy it which should make that decision easier to make for them. Existing customers trust strong brands because they know exactly what to expect and they will keep coming back to you.

If you want to build and manage a strong company brand or image you will need to convey a consistent message to your customers in all ways that you communicate with them.

Strong branding is achieved by a consistency in your marketing tools of which the following are examples:

Web site, Business name, Names of products or services, Company slogan, Company logo, Style and quality of your business stationery including brochures, business cards, letterheads, flyers, folders, Product packaging.

It is important that you commission a professional designer to obtain good quality visual images - photographs and graphics, which will ensure that your marketing materials have maximum impact.

A professional graphic design service will provide high quality graphics which can be adapted for use on your website as well as in all your printed materials such as business stationery, letterheads, business cards, brochures and flyers. High quality graphic designs can also be used on your large conference boards and to build interfaces for an interactive CD Rom which is becoming a more popular way of distributing information about a companies products or services.

John Lewis is a multimedia designer who specialises in producing interactive CD Rom, original graphic design and web design Scotland.

Tradeshow Exhibiting Success

Writen by Barry H Brenner

When it comes to deciding if tradeshows can be an effective marketing tool for your company or business, a careful analysis of the landscape and return on investment potential is in order.

To be or not to be, that is the question. Where? On the tradeshow floor of course.

If the results of your analysis prove that the benefits of investing in tradeshows are worthwhile, the first thing you want to do is decide what show you want to exhibit in and sign up for the show. The sooner you do the better your booth location could be. You know what they say about location, location, location.

Next, your focus should shift to the look and appearance of your tradeshow exhibit booth.

The most important aspect of your tradeshow exhibit is the design, look, and feel. In other words, what can you incorporate into your design to get that all-important attendee to stop in front of your booth and give you the opportunity to open up a dialogue with them? Remember that you have about three to six seconds to accomplish that. And that is the main reason that you are there.

Be creative and unique. Do you want to have a simple display with detachable eye-catching graphics that can be changed as needed? Or, do you want to have a printed fabric display that sets up in five minutes and already has your graphics image on it? Be sure your company name stands out. Think about lighting it up.

Do your products require counter space? If so, make sure that the counters or pedestals that you choose are Velcro compatible for signage purposes. You should always incorporate at least one counter or table for your lead generation machine and brochures. Consider an imprinted throw cover with a slogan or product name on it.

Maybe a person of interest, like a model or a magician would draw more traffic. How about popcorn? Everybody loves popcorn and you can smell it all over the tradeshow floor. Perhaps you can design a costume or uniform for your employees to wear to compliment your look.

Do you want to spend any money on promotional items that have your company name and or logo printed on them? If so, be wise with your selection. Lots of giveaways wind up being discarded after the show.

What are your goals for the show? Do you want to get new leads, orders from existing customers, announce a new product, just show your presence, or something else? Be clear on what your goals are and do everything you can to achieve them.

That includes making sure that everything required for your booth is accounted for, especially the show manual. After you sign up for the show, mark your calendar to remind you to look for your show manual.

Once you have your manual in hand, go through it page by page and make a checklist of what resources you need. Take advantage of early bird discounts. Especially, shipping to the advance-shipping warehouse. Get your forms in early.

O.k. So you've decided that tradeshows are for you and you've done everything from the design of your booth through submitting all of the required forms to the decorator. What's left?

Sending the right people to the show. This can be as important as everything else that you've done up to this point. Why? Because if you want to get the best results possible, you need to send the best spokes person for your company. Everything depends on them and their communication skills.

In my opinion, attitude is king. Having the right personnel at your booth can be the difference between having a return on your investment or coming back empty handed without any new leads or orders.

After all, getting a return on your investment is why you went there in the first place.

Copyright 2006 Barry Brenner

Barry Brenner is a twelve year veteran tradeshow consultant. He has worked with companies of all sizes from small mom and pop businesses, to billion dollar corporations. He can be reached via e-mail at info@bsforu.com or through his web site, http://www.bsforu.com

Why Shouldnt Charities Use Proven Marketing Techniques

Writen by Ron Strand

I ran across an interesting article the other day originally published in a newspaper in Danbury, CT and posted on their online news feed at http://news.newstimeslive.com/story.php?id=77951&category=Local.

The article deals with the practice of including address labels used by some charities as a part of their annual appeals. The writer, Fred Lucas, found that there is more criticism of the practice than there is support. Donors may send in a small donation more because of a sense of obligation than a genuine belief in the cause, only to find that their name is then sold to other charities. He found that most charities in his area do not use this form of fundraising, something the charity watchdog Charity Navigator calls, "phenomenally wasteful use of a charitable resources". On the other hand, the representative of the Easter Seals campaign is quoted as saying, "a lot of testing has shown this to be a very successful program."

What I found ironic, wasn't anything that was stated in the article itself, but the fact that when I viewed the site it was posted on, I was greeted by a banner across the top of the page offering me free smiley faced icons. Grant it, these banners are rotated and if the reader clicks on the link I showed in the first paragraph, you may see smiley faces or you may see another ad. (When I checked the last time there was an offer to scan my computer for adware and spyware free of charge.)

The irony is that a legitimate news service sees nothing wrong with advertising a free offer, presumably to generate some pay per click income. I did not look into the free icon offer but I know from past experience that the main purpose of such offers is to get my email address so that I can become a prospect for various marketing campaigns.

I don't have any problem with this form of advertising. Free sample offers are a tried and true way to generate sales. They are a form of reciprocation, a powerful psychological motivator. In his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion", social psychologist Dr. Robert Cialdini, includes reciprocation as one of the seven main ways that people are influenced. Reciprocation is a powerful marketing technique because it is ingrained in our culture, and in most cultures, as an acceptable form, even expected form of behavior.

What bothers me isn't the use of reciprocity as a marketing technique. What bothers me is the double standard to which charities are often subjected. Why is a tried and true marketing technique accepted without question by the private sector being questioned as a dubious practice by the charitable sector? The principles used by business to sell products and services should be available to the charitable sector. After all, the people who make donations are the same consumers who are expected to make intelligent decisions in the market place.

Ron Strand is a member of the faculty of the Centre for Communication Studies at Mount Royal College and President of Strateo Consulting Inc., a marketing and communications consulting firm. His website is http://www.strateo.ca.

A Perfect Partnership For Business

Writen by Mari-Lyn Hudson

Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this, we miss an opportunity to include "socially responsible marketing" -or sponsorship- in our yearly promotional plan. Sponsorship is a perfect collaboration, considering the similarities that entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations have in common. We are value-driven, highly motivated and creative risk takers, results-oriented and close to our clients. With this in mind, consider exploring sponsorship as a humanitarian duty, first and foremost, as well as an investment. This is a business investment or partnership between two parties, who work together for mutual benefit

Sponsorship can open cost-effective doors to target markets, and media that you or they may not be able to access on their own. It also creates an incredible opportunity for your business to boost an awareness of social issues that match your values and goals as an organization.

This leads to a valuable and exciting exercise for your company. Make a list of the values of your organization, as well as a list of the things that your organization does better than anyone else. Studying these two lists will lead you to the best organization with which you partner.

Refer to these lists when you approach or are approached by an organization which may fit your values criteria. This partnership needs to be based on an honest and clear commonality of goals and values. It is much bigger than just writing a cheque. Ask questions, lots of questions. Go and see what the organization does. Try to think of as many options for sponsorship as possible. Be creative when looking for events or campaigns that match you as an organization.

You can donate money, of course. But you can also donate products or services. This is usually known as a donation in kind. Can you involve clients, suppliers or staff? Are there resources, staff or office equipment that can be shared or given? Think of opportunities that will bring people through your doors. Or where people will be able to try your product or service. Is there a special promotional item that you can use in connection with the event/campaign? Where can you put your corporate image or phone number? Are there opportunities for potential business? Remember that you already have something in common: You are both supporters of the same organization. What a terrific way to begin a client relationship.

Once you have confidently selected a partner, throw yourself into it. Be passionate, be proud and, most importantly, be very clear. Outline in writing the details of promotion, money, image, description and responsibilities, all with time lines attached. Evaluation is an important thing which could be included here.

Above all else, you want to create a positive experience that eventually will lead to other partnerships. These first steps are the beginning of a community relations or fundraising policy as your company grows.

There are many examples of excellent sponsorships. Take a look around you and see if anything catches your eye. Entrepreneurs and small business people are resourceful and always looking for opportunities for additional profile and revenue. Sharing a mailing, donating goodies to be handed out, giving children a small toy, promoting a food bank or a free meal program, buying an ad in a theatre program—all are useful to the community in which we entrepreneurs do business.

Lastly, remember that sponsorship acts as a lubricant to the goals, values and promotion plan that you have in place. It is meant to compliment, not replace, the promotion that your company already has planned. People will not necessarily buy your product or service because they saw your name/logo as a sponsor on a T-shirt. But they may buy something from you if they saw your name/logo on a number of different promotional items.

Philanthropy is the love of those around us. This in mind, you are invited to attempt to embrace this principle through sponsorship of events or campaigns that affect you and the people around you. But be prepared, and be clear of your values and goals. A partnership is a serious commitment and is not for the lighthearted. Walt Whitman said it well: "When I give, I give myself."

Sponsorship then might be a perfect partnership for small business. It can be one of the most valuable tools available to create revenue, profile, goodwill and relationship building—and it may be far more meaningful than just a "charity" money exchange.

Presented by Mari-Lyn Hudson of Heart@Work The Business Development Group. You can reach her at: 1-866-667-0166 or kindnessinc@myway.com

The Entrepreneurial Dynamics Of Marketing To A Group

Writen by Chris King

Consider the advantages of making a helpful presentation to a group. This is a super way to get the word out about you, your business and expertise.

Chambers of Commerce, many companies and all kinds of associations are always searching for interesting speakers. Once you feel comfortable with your presentation skills, offer to give a luncheon, dinner or brown-bag lunch speech about some aspect of what you do and know to their group. You will probably perform this service for free or a meal (some speakers call this the "rubber chicken" circuit), but it can pay off big time with contacts and prospective clients.

Use the presentation skills of top-notch speakers. Professional speakers have a passion for their topics. Let the group you are presenting to know how passionate you are about what you do. If you aren't passionate about it, you will find it impossible to sell to others. Take time to look everyone in the eye (for at least three seconds is the recommended amount of time). Most people equate this with credibility, integrity and self confidence.

Take your time when you ask and answer questions, avoiding those fill-ins like "ah," "um," and "you know." A well-placed pause shows that you are thoughtful and calm. We tend to talk fast when we are nervous and nervousness will worry a prospective client. Speak clearly and articulately. If you feel that you could use some work on your speaking, join a Toastmasters group. This is an international organization with clubs everywhere that generally meet weekly to help members improve their presentation skills.

Beware the person who thinks he or she knows more than you do. When making a presentation to a group, we must discern who the people are who are interested in our services and those who are skeptical. It is often the skeptical know-it-all who needs most of your attention. Give him or her credit for what they do know, saying, "That's a good point, but I have found …" or "What a great question! This is how I see it." Think to yourself, "If I can win this person's approval, he or she will become one of my greatest allies."

If someone asks a question or broaches a problem where you are not sure of the answer, don't be afraid to say, "I am not positive about that. Give me your number or e-mail address, and I will have the answer for you before …" (And, of course, be true to your word.) Along that same line, remember that honesty is the best policy.

Just remember, leave intimidation at home. Once you have presented to several groups and in different situations, you will find that the group interaction is exciting and exhilarating and can also provide you with hours and dollars worth of work.

Chris King is a free agent, professional speaker, storyteller, writer, website creator / designer, and fitness instructor. Chris has what she calls a "Portfolio Career" --many careers at the same time. If you wonder if you could handle and love having a "Portfolio Career" you will find a free assessment to take at http://www.creativekeys.net/portfoliocareertest.htm Sign up for her eclectic E-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, at http://www.freelanceliving.com You will find Chris' business website at http://www.creativekeys.biz

Build A Successful Business By Staying Connected

Writen by Julia Tang

Over the course of your business life you'll come in contact with a number of other business people. They could be lawyers, business services, suppliers, customers, etc. These people are important to your business in more ways than one. If you hired them or they bought your product or service, you can also gain their business knowledge, experience, ideas, and advice. How do you do this? Stay Connected! Network! Networking is when two or more different businesses stay in contact on a regular basis to build and improve each others business.

Consider all the benefits you'll gain from talking to other business people:

Knowledge or information that you didn't have before Advice on how to solve a current business problem Leads to a new business project or opportunity Joint ventures and cross promotion deals Learn important skills that you didn't have before Constructive criticism that improved your business Brainstorming that sparks a profitable business idea Encouraging and motivational statements

There are many ways to meet business people. Join business clubs and associations. Participate in on-line business-related forums, e-mail discussion groups, and chat rooms. Go to business expos and trade shows. Use your creativity to come up with even more ideas.

If you have the time, start your own networking group. You could hold meetings at a local seminar room, at a park , or at your own business building. If you want to hold meetings on-line use a private chat room. Publish a print or e-mail newsletter to keep members informed of meeting time and dates.

Keep all your business associates' contact information all in one place. Have it organized by business type or profession for easy finding. So when you need some advice on a new marketing campaign you can call that marketing expert you met at that trade show in Ohio a couple of weeks ago.

Networking is a surefire way to build a successful business. I have used it countless times and will continue too. I have also met a lot of business people who are now some of my closest friends.

---------------------------------------------------------
Julia Tang publishes "Smart Online Business Tips", a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you. To find out the best online business opportunities,
to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
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Making Your Mark With The Millennials

Writen by Bill Willard

Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history, offspring of the Boomers—80 million of them, nearly 27 percent of the U.S. population—are in their late teens and 20s, and already a market force to be reckoned with.

The Millennials are here big time! "They're demanding their own music, defining their own trends and starting to matter to advertisers, to retailers, to politicians," chirped a recent Chicago Tribune editorial. What's more, they are (or soon will be) buying cars and homes, getting married, starting families--and are going to matter very much to American business.

Neo-traditionalist in many ways, the Millennials are not cynical about marriage and having families. These young people value such intangibles as personal fulfillment, family well-being, freedom, security—lives on track. As a result, count on the Millennials to step up to the issues and needs most of us have no matter which generational cohort, market segment, or stage of life we're in. "They don't want to make the mistakes of either Generation X or the Boomers, to wait until the panic stage to have babies," writes columnist, Suzanne Fields.

A High Dose of Reality

But no matter how great their marketing potential, Millennials with ground-floor incomes may be struggling to negotiate rent and other living expenses on top of college loans that the Christian Science Monitor estimates average $17,000. Or they may still be living with Mom and Dad!

So all is not a bed of roses, and even the most astute members of this (or any) generation will find the choices marketers ask them to make confusing. Or (worse) they may think they know it all or imagine they can get everything they need online, and don't need help.

With so much at stake, indecision, inaction or mistakes born of misplaced self-confidence ("It can't happen to me") can be expensive--especially in periods of economic uncertainty. Yet this generation, which has known nothing but prosperity, is not used to doing without. Handed the choice of paying health insurance premiums or maintaining their savings and other financial security plans--and forgoing their cell phones or hanging up their social lives, many of these young people make the wrong call.

Setting priorities can be critical and shouldn't be ignored no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, That's one reason why realistic expectations should be communicated to consumers in this or any other age group. A difficult pill to swallow, but exactly the advice young families in that difficult position should hear.

How to Reach The Millennials

Generation Y is generally more comfortable using the Internet as a research tool to aid in making saving and investment decisions, rather than as a means for on-line banking or trading. "To effectively reach the youngest generation of adult Americans, whose lives are being shaped by digital media, marketers must deliver smarter, more sophisticated messages and build brands with them rather than for them," a study by advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi suggests.

As described by Jane Levere in "Generation Shaped by Digital Media Presents Fresh Marketing Challenges," in the The New York Times: "Saatchi & Saatchi, a unit of Saatchi & Saatchi PLC, based its study on interviews by child psychologists with 84 people ages 6 to 20 across the United States. They were asked what they thought about digital media like personal computers, the Internet, CD-ROMs, video games and cellular phones and other communication devices, and how these media affected their lives. Cultural anthropologists also observed 10 families at home for 50 hours each.

According to the agency, the digital media have several functions for the 80 million Americans born since 1977, the largest generation in the nation's history. "The media serve as toys for these young people but also provide developmental challenges. Digital media also function as a virtual hearth at home," the study said. It found that "most families have their digital media set up in a public room of the house; consequently, a lot of digital activities are shared by the family, making these media a center of family life.

"In addition, the study learned that the new media could function as a 'cool library' for the new generation."Generation Y uses digital media as an extension of self socially, intellectually and emotionally," the study said. 'By extending the self in these ways, the new media help young people find their identity.' It concluded that digital media act as "power tools" for the Millennials, giving them tremendous access to knowledge.

Generation Y is generally more comfortable using the Internet as a research tool to aid in making saving and investment decisions, rather than as a means for on-line banking or trading. "To effectively reach the youngest generation of Americans, whose lives are being shaped by digital media, marketers must deliver smarter, more sophisticated messages and build brands with them rather than for them," a study by advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi suggests.

Social Security Reality Check

Despite Democrat and MSM protestations, many young adults are pushing for a privatized or partially privatized Social Security program, which would maximize their two greatest wealth accumulation assets -- time and compounding returns.

Prediction: Petulently refusing any mention of privatizing Social Security won't cut it for long. Washington must find the stones either to a) call time-out and switch over to a privatized Social Security system for everyone over a certain age, b) permit wage earners to invest x-percentage of their payroll tax into personal accounts, or c) come up with some other fiscally feasible, politically palatable version of Social Security reform.

Failing that, the discontent of Millennials and Generation Xers will become the political time bomb for future presidents and Congresses that Social Security had been until George Bush's bold 2005 initiative.

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.

Bill Willard has also been writing high-impact marketing and sales training primarily for the financial services industry for 30 years. Through interactive, Web-based "Do-While-Learning™" programs, enewsletters and straight-talking articles, Bill helps small-business owners and independent professionals get the job done: profitably improving performance, helping grow your business, skipping expensive mistakes, making the journey to small-business success faster, smoother, easier. And fun!

When Designing Postcards Aim For Quotrefrigerator Door Mindsharequot

Writen by Martha Retallick

If you want to design effective marketing postcards, then aim for "Refrigerator Door Mindshare."

By this, I mean that you should create a card that someone would be proud to display on his or her refrigerator door.

The image on the front of your postcard should be simple, but attractive. I?ve found that brightly colored cards pull a better response than dark, moody cards. Save your artistic angst for some other medium.

You should also create an image that?s easily comprehended. Why? Because your recipients will only give your cards a one- or two-second glance before deciding to keep them or throw them away.

Think billboard. A billboard must get its point across quickly?because people are driving by at high rates of speed. It also must be memorable.

So, here's a homework assignment, the next time you're out and about, look at the billboards. Advertisers are paying good money to put them up, so why not use them as a source of free design ideas?

Now, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Which billboards are memorable?
2. Which billboards are forgettable?

You can also do the same thing with advertising you see in bus and train stations, or in airports.

You may have noticed this when you've been sending postcards, or doing some other form of marketing. Your responders will fall into one of the following groups:

1. People who respond right away.
2. People who respond several weeks, months, or even years later.

You may get a lot of "right away" responders, which is the desired result of most marketing activities, but you'll still get replies from people who've saved your postcards.

And "keeper cards" are a good thing. Why? Because if your recipients are keeping what you?re sending out, chances are good that they?ll eventually do business with you.

Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder," hails from Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a downloadable PDF manual will show you how to put postcards to work for your business--profitably. Learn more about it at:

http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com

Package Your Products For Thunder Thigh Women Big Butts Too

Writen by JoAnn Hines

Wake up women (and you men too). I think we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Madison Avenue is getting real about advertising campaigns for women. Following the unparalleled success of Dove line of personal-care products sold by Unilever, the company introduced what it calls a "campaign for real beauty." I predict others will follow suit.

This week Nike unveiled a campaign using women with big butts and thunder thighs -- no kidding! Why? It is because that image represents the majority on the US female populace. (FYI, the average size woman is a size 14-16, not a 0.)

Remember when I told you that women aren't influenced by celebrity endorsements on the product package. Well, they are influenced by real women who they can relate to. They are not impressed by the thin, waif-like creatures that have been purported to represent the average female consumer. Nor are they in awe of the horse like runway models seen in TV commercials clunking down the stage.

Two drivers impacting this change include the fact that women are the primary purchasers of products and that women over 50 are finally being recognized as a significant purchasing demographic.

How well do you understand the needs and wants of these two target groups? Do you want to sell more products and connect with consumers though your product packaging?

We know what these buyers want in packaging. Our special report: Is your Packaging Female-Friendly? can be in you hands in 24 hours. This groundbreaking research and report is available now for only $25.00.

Find out what the representatives of the leading consumer goods companies learned about product packaging for women. Email the PackagingDiva@aol.com for an order form

Every day a new issue related to packaging such as food security is in the forefront of the news? JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva knows what business needs to know about packaging. How has Walmart impacted the packaging industry? (The Diva knows.) What is the fastest growing consumer segment for product packaging? (The Diva knows.) Will new products on the horizon change the way we shop and eat? (The Diva knows.) How can packaging protect us from an act of terrorism? (The Diva knows.)

If you need answers to these questions and many more related to the packaging industry email the PackagingDiva@aol.com

Why Is It Important To Have Your Own Information Product On The Internet

Writen by Michael Port

Imagine this, you open your email first thing in the morning and you see fifteen new orders; one from Switzerland, one from Australia, one from India, and a dozen from all over the United States. All for the product you just recently made available on the Web. It's 7 a.m., you're still sipping your first cup of coffee and only half awake, and already it's been a very profitable day. While this scenario may seem more like a dream than reality to you right now, it's entirely possible to achieve and it's much easier to do than you might imagine. Besides starting each day with a big, Cheshire Cat grin, and dollar signs floating through your mind's eye, there are numerous other benefits to having a product available on the web.

Positions you as an expert – Perception is everything on the internet and the creation of your own product results in positioning you as an expert and is a critical step in generating new business.

Builds your brand identity – Your product represents you and your business in the marketplace, and making it available on the Web is the first step toward getting your product into more hands, heads, and homes.

Reaches a global marketplace – Having a product available on the Web means that you've expanded your geographic marketplace from local neighborhoods where your product sits on a shelf, to the entire world via your website.

Creates a 24/7, passive revenue, profit machine – The Web never sleeps which means that you can literally turn your computer and website into a cash register around the clock, and many, if not all, of the processes can be automated.

Levels the playing field – In the past, the entrepreneur or small business owner was unable to compete with the larger companies which could afford to mass market products. The Web makes it possible for even the smallest of businesses to compete.

Instantly increases the effectiveness of your sales cycle – This is especially critical for service professionals. Often a consumer will opt to purchase a product as a trial before deciding to purchase your service. Having a quality product available on the Web allows them to get to know a bit more about you and what you have to offer.

In addition to the great benefits listed above, which apply to any online product, there are several more which apply specifically to information products and make them an even more attractive choice.

Greater cost-effectiveness – Since traditional production and distribution is unnecessary, your costs are significantly reduced and your margin for profit is significantly increased.

Increase your speed to market - While it might take months or years to get a hardbound book written, edited, published, produced, and distributed to book stores, you can deliver the same content in the format of an e-book and bring it into the world in a matter of days or weeks instead.

Content can be leveraged in several formats – The same content can be presented in several different formats; as an e-book, an ecourse, a teleclass, a home-study course, and the list goes on and on.

Opportunity for bold self-expression and learning – The Web allows you to get your message to millions simultaneously while at the same time offering you the opportunity to learn in action as you challenge yourself to create something totally unique.

© 2005 Michael Port & Associates LLC

Get more clients with Michael Port, expert marketing coach for small business owners and professional service providers. Free small business resources, networking opportunities, articles, advice and coaching on professional services marketing at http://www.michaelport.com. Receive a free chapter from 'Book Yourself Solid' at http://www.bookyourselfsolid.com

Marketing Mind Vs Emotion

Writen by Daniel Wadleigh

The research and field results prove that there are three factors that pull people to respond to a particular business. They are logic, emotion, and both! It has been calculated in a study of 900,000 consumers in 23 markets that:

• one third chose where to shop based upon emotional factors,

• one fourth chose based on logical factors,

• the rest on both.

What this means is that price and other rational factors like selection only won 25% of the time. It also means that emotional values like comfort, safety, convenient location, friendly people, fun, excitement, soft music, etc. only won out 33% of the time! This also means that 42% take both factors into consideration. If you only offer discounts, and your location stinks, your music is as loud, as are your people – you limit yourself to 25% of the potential customer pie.

Try to keep as much of a balance of safety and comfort with selection and price, as much as you can while still conforming to your image. Remember, you can't be all things to all people, or you lose your identity.

Daniel Wadleigh is a nationally published marketing consultant and has programs for start-up and existing businesses including effective web sites, e-mail/database, other non-internet ways to drive them to your website, and low cost ways to get more new customers.

Go to: http://www.more-new-customers.com to get free copy of "Marketing to Men vs. Women- the 8 different responses" and a Free copy of "Market Research- 7 Questions to Ask to Start-up and 7 to Ask to Improve Any Business."

Top Five Ways To Market Your Business On The Internet

Writen by Ian G Williamson

Marketing your online business can be a huge part of your budget especially when you're first starting out. Finding ways to get your name in front of your customer that doesn't cost a fortune will help you draw sales while you're working on getting ranked in the search engines.

Below are the top five ways to market your business on the internet. The ideas listed are not only inexpensive but are highly effective as well. However, before you even consider using one of these strategies, there are two things you must first do.

The first is to write a formal marketing plan. If you're getting close to opening your business, a marketing plan should already be done as part of your company's business plan. However, it's true that many who start online businesses fail to write a business plan. If this is the case, just be sure to at least get your marketing plan formalized before you start doing business. Getting your marketing plan thought through and documented is the minimum you should do for your business. When writing your marketing plan, consider the who, what, when, and how you will do your selling and get your brand in front of your customer. Then decide which of the following strategies you will implement in that plan and explain how you plan to carry out those strategies.

The other thing you need to consider is search engine optimization. It is essential to learn how to optimize your website so it will eventually get ranked in the top three search engines, Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The sooner you get started with optimizing your site, the faster it will get ranked. Until some of your pages are ranked in the search engines, your traffic will remain minimal. Consider investing in a book, ebook, ecourse, or program of some sort to learn how to optimize your site so you can use the information as you are building it and adding your content. Be sure you're learning the most recent information because the rules change frequently.

Now on to the Top 5 Ways to Market Your Online Business.

1. Find Your Niche. Imagine trying to sell your product or service to the entire world. Consider the marketing budgets of companies like Coca-Cola and McDonalds, these are companies that are trying to appeal to everyone. Selling your product or service to a small but focused group of people will allow you the luxury of advertising to a smaller but more interested group of people. Since they are more interested, a higher percentage of the group will buy but you will have spent less money pursuing the smaller group. Once you are successful selling to one niche, if your product or service is appealing to another niche, you can create another website and repeat your success using the same strategies you used on the first website.

2. Link Exchanges. Exchanging links with other websites that have complimentary products or services will not only give you direct traffic from the link but it will also help you with your pursuit to get ranked in the search engines. At the time of this writing, Google is the most widely used search engine, and it's widely known that they consider the number of links pointing to your website as part of the determination where to rank your website.

3. Write Articles. Writing articles with information that is interesting and useful for your niche market will help you gain traffic to your site. When writing an article, include a resource box at the end of the article that includes information about the author (that's you) and a link to your website. Then distribute the article to article directories for other website owners to use on their site or in their newsletters and ezines. This does two things, you gain traffic when someone sees your article on another website and clicks your link and you get a link that points back to your site for the search engines to use to rank your site higher.

4. Using a Signature Line in Online Forums. This is a strategy that could be quite time consuming so don't let it take up huge amounts of your time, however it is quite effective in drawing traffic to your website. Join forums and messageboards that are useful to your niche market and then become part of the community. When you make a post, be sure it's useful and relevant to the information that is being discussed, then at the bottom of your post, sign-off with your name and little blurb about your company with a link to your website. These are often referred to as "sig lines". Be sure to read the forum's guidelines to be sure you're using the proper etiquette in the forum and to be sure signature lines are allowed. If they are not allowed, do not use this strategy in that forum as it could cause you to be banned from that forum.

5. Start A Newsletter. Having a newsletter is one of the best ways to market to your customers and potential customers. You will need to have a service that will host your list and allow you to send your newsletter. Then you put a sign-up box on your website and your visitors will sign-up. Periodically, you decide how often, you send those who have signed up an email with information that is relevant to your niche. This information could be general info or it could be specifically about your product. To get your visitors to sign-up you can offer a special report, e-course, ebook or anything that would entice them to give you their email address. When you choose the service that will host your email list, be sure they do a double opt-in confirmation of those who subscribe, it's now the law.

In this article we covered the top five ways to market your website and a couple of things you need to do before you ever even start. Now it's time to get out there and implement some of these strategies.

For further Internet Marketing Articles please visit http://www.real-articles.com/Category/Marketing/86.

It Marketing Whats The Time Frame For Business Success

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Success with your IT consulting business won't happen overnight. In this article, you'll learn when you can expect to start bringing in some good profits.

IT Marketing: It's a Systematic Process

Ok, so you've joined the chamber, will be attending your first networking meeting this week, have participated in venture capital groups that are geared towards IT and have been handing out your business cards all over the place at regional trade shows. Unfortunately not much has come of this so far. What is the problem?

Time. It will take three to six months to begin to see the payoffs. You won't see immediate results by joining an organization. If, however, you have been actively participating for 6 months and still nothing is coming of it, it's probably not going to happen over the extended duration and you may want to bail and try another organization.

IT Marketing Requires Personal Relationships

Don't expect that you're going to go to one meeting or two meetings and automatically you're going to land a $25,000 account. Yeah, every once in a while you can win the lottery, but most of the time people have to like, know and trust you.

I'm going to assume that most people that are reading this have a nice, warm personality and they're friendly and charismatic people. You must be likeable and like working with people. It's a people business, so if you're a loner, you're going to have problems.

First impressions count for a lot. Dress neatly, build a rapport with the people you meet, hitting it off with them, and having good chemistry counts for a lot. Don't forget to send business their way if you run into someone needing their services. Don't stay hidden. Regularly get yourself circulating in the general public and give it time.

The Bottom Line about IT Marketing

IT marketing requires you to be patient and build personal relationships to start making a good profit. It won't happen overnight, but if you invest some time in meeting people and building rapport, you will start getting referrals to help your IT marketing.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.

Does Your Packaging Umm Smell

Writen by JoAnn Hines

If it doesn't, perhaps it should. The latest and greatest packaging innovations are packages that smell. They give those olfactory glands a workout. Watch for packages sporting "fragrances" such as chocolate and vanilla. Just think of all the calories saved by smelling the package and not even eating the product. Weight watchers should love it this concept. Consider all of the applications of tricking your stomach into thinking you have eaten (after all the smell of food is as important as the taste, well almost).

This is a great concept: Using your nose to sell products. The "smelly" package. I can see both the pros and the cons of using this innovation. First, let me tell you I have some samples of fragrance encapsulated in plastic and believe me they are still strong enough to knock over a horse. The fragrance does not truly represent the "essence" it is supposed to, but it does have an odor that works. I'm sure other essences are more "true" in fragrance to the real product they represent. It is especially long-lived too, e.g., never dilutes. In fact, the scent is so strong that I had to move the samples out of nose region for sanity sake.

Consider all of those smells that equate to the good things in life. Did you know the number one fragrance that appeals to men is vanilla? Apple pie, mom and all those homey smells are wrapped up in the analysis of that one fragrance. I am not sure I want to smell like a vanilla bean but it is a very popular fragrance in its appeal to women too. Vanilla fragrance has a multitude of applications useful in product packaging.

What about all the products manufactured that use a little "home cooked" smell? The opportunities are endless. While she is walking down the supermarket isle, delicious odors wafting about that are reminiscent of "home cooked" goodies. Even if she never uses the product, it could just sit on her shelf and smell as if she did. Forget fragrance candles. My toaster does it for me.

The scratch and sniff label application has been around for a while. It has always been prevalent in the cosmetic and toiletries industries but even toothpaste is using scratch and sniff now. How else could you discern your cinnamon toothpaste purchase from the bourbon flavored (just kidding)?

What about the coffee maker that emits the essence of fresh brewed Starbucks coffee? Cha ching! Think about the sales you could capture in this successful marketplace by using an appropriately dispensed fragrance on your product (essence de cappuccino). Anyone ready for coffee?

Let's face it. Marketers are looking for angles to get our attention in this sensory overload environment. Creating products emitting savory odors wafting down the shopping isles. "Smelly" packaging could be just one more way to entice her to pick your product up off the shelf.

Got packaging problems? I can help. Packaging problems are solved like magic when you work with the Diva. I teach you how to package products consumers will buy. Get advice from the top expert in consumer packaging. Email the packaging Diva @ PackagingDiva@aol.com

How To Persuade Others To Give You Their Money

Writen by Stoney DeGeyter

I'm not a sales person, but running my own SEO company has placed me into that role. I am my client's primary contact, not only for project management, but as the first sales contact when inquiring about our services. I rather enjoy the role of project manager, but I've never felt entirely comfortable with the sales role.

Over the years, though, I've gotten quite good at it, or at least parts of it. I can't sell everybody that calls, nor do I try, as I loathe high pressure sales tactics. I'm more casual and conversational with some good processes in place for follow up. But making a sale involves a fair amount of persuasion.

There are a number of persuasive tactics available for both the aggressive and passive individual, everything from fear to manipulation to coaxing to demonstration. Some of these methods are positive, some are extremely negative. I don't really want to discuss the negative avenues but rather the overall process that positive persuasion entails, and what you can and should do in order to be more persuasive to potential clients and customers.

Persuasion Starts with Availability

One of the most important things you can do to be more persuasive is to be available. After all, you can't persuade someone who can't get in touch with you. When our phone rings, someone picks it up. The only time the phone ever goes to voice mail is before or after business hours, which is generally after 6pm and before 7am all week. Unless it's a holiday, if you call, we'll answer.

Any sales or information calls are forwarded to me, as the primary sales contact and project manager. If I'm not available a message is taken and calls are immediately returned as soon as possible. Also, anytime a prospect fills out the form on our website, I place a follow-up call almost immediately. Forms that come in after hours are handled early the next morning.

You'd be surprised with the impression you can make with a quickly returned phone call. I can't count the number of sales I've made because I'd called and gotten a contract signed before another SEO company even returned the prospects call or email.

The Conversation of Persuasion

I know that high pressure sales work. If it didn't there wouldn't be so many people out there putting the screws to potential customers. But that's not my game. I'm more of a conversational type of person. If I'm talking to someone about our services and they tell me "no", I usually just leave it at that. I'm certainly not going to hound them or keep bugging them to sign up with us, but I also realize that if I can conversationally keep them talking then I've got a chance at changing their mind.

This happened just the other day. I had been talking to a prospect and he called me back as promised (a rare event, indeed) to tell me he had decided to go with another company. This company was "three times cheaper" than our services. Instead of letting him go at that, like I often do, I decided to ask him if he wouldn't mind telling me what the services are the other company was offering at a third of our price. Through that conversation I was able to point out the differences between our service and my competitors and provide him more information on what makes our services unique. I ultimately convinced him that we were the right company to go with.

The Honesty in Persuasion

I have a strict No BS policy. When clients call and ask about our services I don't make promises that can't be kept and I let them know up front what the situation is going to look like. Actually, you could say I take the "Scottie" approach. For those non-sci-fi fans, Scottie was the engineer on the original Star Trek series. Episode after episode the enterprise's engines would be damaged and the lives of the crew were at stake. Kirk would call Scottie and ask him how much time until the engines were fixed. Whatever the answer was, the death of the crew was going to result if the engines were not repaired far sooner than Scottie estimated. Of course, Scottie always came through in the end.

I would rather under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse. I always try to present the most likely and worst-case scenarios. This ensures that any new client fully understands that the process of optimization is not a short-term, quick fix solution, but a long-term investment. Who knows I've probably lost quite a few sales over the years by taking this approach, but a happy client is much better to work with than an angry one.

Following Through to Persuasion

A big part of our sales process is our follow up with prospects. Years ago I implemented an auto responder system for anybody who fills out a form on our website. Once a form is submitted, an immediate notification is sent out indicating that we have received the information. A followup email is sent out once a week for six weeks. These emails provide information detailing the benefits of SEO. They also include additional information about our services, client testimonials, and more.

I usually have already started a dialogue with the prospect, but these emails provide an additional point of contact with information that they might not have considered during our conversations.

When I send out a proposal to the prospect, I let them know that I'll be calling again in a few days to follow up and answer any questions they may have. By then, some have read the proposal and are ready with more questions, some are not. And of course, some can't be reached, in which case I simply keep trying.

In addition to the auto responders and no-pressure follow up calls, we also send out a letter or two via snail mail. In dealing with online businesses, where almost all communication is conducted by phone or email, we've been told these letters are a nice touch that also adds credibility and legitimacy to our company. Every little bit helps!

There is a lot more that goes into persuasion than these tips mentioned above. You can read my series on establishing web credibility, which stemmed from a study published by Stanford. Credibility is a big part of the persuasion process, but persuasion really is more about creating a path from the beginning to achieving a desired outcome. What you do along the way will determine whether or not you are able to persuade.

Read this article and more at the E-Marketing Performance Blog. Stoney deGeyter is president of Pole Position Marketing, a search optimization marketing firm providing SEO and website marketing services since 1998. Stoney is also a part-time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College, as well as a moderator in the Small Business Ideas Forum. He is the author of his E-Marketing Performance eBook. (ea)

Voice Mail Can Be Your Buddy

Writen by Mike McDaniel

Voice Mail is a classy name for "answer Machine". Problem is, people at home had answer machines long before most businesses. When the answer machine industry finally figured how work to their machines into business systems with more than one extension, they called it "Voice Mail"

This article focuses on what you say TO the voice mail, not the welcome greeting you might put on your voice mail. You can leave two types of voice mail messages. A message to a person you already have a business relationship with, and a message to a person you hope to establish a business relationship with (a cold call).

Most people don't answer machines or voice mail. If you have an answer machine at home you have listened to that recorded silence while the non- speaking person breathes, then hangs up, having decided not to leave a message. Most answer machine message begin with a pause because the person on the other end was not prepared to leave a message and does not think on their feet like you and me. In business, the pause can kill you. Voice mail can be your buddy. Be prepared to meet it head on without a moment's hesitation. Just like you worked out your one sentence unique selling proposition and practiced the quick draw of your business cards for networking, you can be ready with several canned voice mail message and not miss a second when the thing beeps at you. Time is money. You took the time to make the call, so you should make every effort to make it pay for off for you. What you say is what makes the difference.

There is some research that says the average executive gets over 300 messages (mail, eMail fax and more) each day, not to mention the bombardment of advertising messages from billboards, TV, radio, cable and newspapers. That's a lot of clutter to penetrate. And if your message is ho hum, or starts with a pause... fahgettaboutit! Your message must attract attention right off or you go down with the delete button. Leaving messages for friends and family is a snap, a spontaneous act. Not so at work. You need to prepare your message.Be ready before you dial.

What do you say? You have to plan this in advance. Scripting is not a bad idea. I am not saying you should read from a script, but if you write and organize what you are going to say and read the script out loud enough times, it will sound like a natural when you recite it to the machine. Just like you rehearsed your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) so you don't have to remember, it just comes out naturally when someone asks "What do you do?"

I know of one eager saleslady who recorded her voice mail response on a little cassette machine hooked to her phone with a Radio Shack interface. When she gets the tone, she pushes the play button and sends it down the line. Another sales type, (let's call him "Bif") had a guy at the radio station do up a fancy 30 second commercial complete with production effects and music. There is a line you cross and Bif may have crossed it. Goals Your message should be targeted at building credibility, so when you call again and the party is in the office, you can get through.

How can you build credibility with a voice mail message? For starts, you don't leave a lot of ahhs, gulps, and uuhs. When you begin without hesitation, in a clear, concise, upbeat manner you are telegraphing a positive image of knowledge and confidence, even when you get the "unexpected" voice mail prompt.

As you deliver your rehearsed script over and over, take care not to speed though with little or no emotion in your voice. Remember how you feel when the place you call is answered by a bored, unhappy receptionist who speeds through the spiel with the "I don't care if you can't comprehend what I am saying" attitude. Your Voice mail pitch must be warm, and slow enough to sound as if it is coming from your heart, not your recorder on high speed.

Here are BIG Mike's Tips for leaving effective Voice Mail

DON'T BE PREDICTABLE

Everyone leaves the same tired message.You get tuned out the minutes it starts, Example of same ol same ol: "Hi this is Bif, we haven't met but I thought I'd call to see if you would be interested in hearing about my new..." UGH! Make your messages so compelling folks have to call you back. And don't drone on and on, make 'em short enough to entice, but long enough to incite.

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU

This phrase pops up in every aspect of marketing, from advertising all the way down to answer machine and voice mail messages, Its Not About You.

Take a poll. No one cares about you. No one cares that your mug shot is 15 feet high on a billboard across town. No one cares if you are doing your own radio commercials and sound worse than the high school announcer. No one cares if your dealership has sold more cars than all the dealers in Central Montana. And NO ONE CARES when you leave a message about you, or your company. Its not about you. WIIFM.

WIIFM is not a radio station, is the acronym to remind you they don't care about you, instead they ask "What's In It For Me?" WIIFM??

SELL THE BENEFITS

The key ingredient for successful sales and marketing works for effective voice mail as well. What can you say that will lead the listener to know and believe that you have something of value for them? Prospects return calls if you convince them you may have something they want...and, soon.

ASK FOR THE ORDER

Voice mails have been asking callers to "Leave a message" for years, yet fully three quarters of those who do respond to the beep only leave name and phone number.

Your voice mail message gives you a perfect opportunity to call for action on the part of your listener (Remember you are competing with 300+ messages and the horrid reputation of telephone sales pitches (telemarketers).

Go for the close with a call for action. Ask them to do something. To Call You, To be on the lookout for a package from FedEx. To check records to see if you are not right on target. Ask and you'll get.

Voice mail response can be an effective sales tool. Voice mail is one of many tools the professional uses to get the job done, right

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

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Trade Show Exhibit Shipping Tips

Writen by Dick Wheeler

Your trade show costs can dramatically escalate if you just happen to hire an inexperienced shipping company to transport your trade show booth to the conference site. You may suddenly be faced with broken or missing parts, late delivery and a budget that could put your company's trade show display in total disarray and your job in jeopardy.

Although unforeseen events such as a major winter blizzard can cause havoc with your trade show delivery schedule and budgeting, it is always best to minimize your chances for error by picking the right professional transportation company. If you want your trade show booth to arrive in good condition, on time and within your budgeted allowance, you need to be informed on how to pick the right freight handler and transportation company.

You can take control of your trade show booth's destiny by becoming fully informed. Bad weather, causing flight delays at certain times of the year, is a concern beyond your control. But just like you can reclaim lost luggage from an airliner if you have your name tag on it, you have a better chance of finding a lost or misplaced trade show booth element if, for example, you labeled every part of your trade show display in advance.

Although GPS technology has been a boon to tracking trade show booths, it can't find what is not labeled. And, since there are so many different people handing the shipment of a trade show booth, there is no guarantee that your trade show exhibit will arrive safely on the other end. You can, however, improve your odds of success by taking steps to insure your trade show display's safe journey. Thus, the first step is to find an experienced trade show specific carrier.

George Poppe of National Transportation in El Segundo, California, offers the following tips on what to look for in a trade show freight carrier. They are:

1. Make sure your transportation company records all of your trade show exhibit information, such as destination, schedule, weight, number of pieces, and exact dimensions of your pieces. This detailed information not only determines the cost of transporting your trade show booth to the exhibit site but also drayage costs (what the unions charge to deliver your booth from the loading dock onto and off the trade show floor)

2. Look for a freight carrier that has a good rapport with the unions so your trade show exhibit will be in reliable hands. You are better able to avoid unnecessary charges if your transportation carrier deals regularly with the trade show conference hall unions. Your carrier benefits from knowing the industry venues well--whether they be the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Convention Center or the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

3. Look for a transportation company that handles a large volume of trade show business. You can get price breaks if your cargo company has multiple or less than truck load shipments to a convention site. An example of what can happen is the recent Semicon West 2006 Convention at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco July 11 -13th.

Poppe reported that, due to the popularity of this show, his National Transportation Company had to wait in the marshalling yard for 11 hours before delivery at the unloading dock. Because he had 3 trucks and multiple shipments, he was able to waive the waiting charge fees which would normally be charged. A less experienced trucker most likely would pass along these charges to the trade show exhibitor. Marshal yard fees range anywhere from $45 - $85 hour.

4. Select a trade show freight company that has first class communication capability. Check to see if they offer 24/7 contact with a live person, since trade shows are not a 9 to 5 business. Also make sure you give them contact names and cell phone numbers of your exhibitor reps on the trade show floor. Check to see if the freight company has the capability of sending Internet air bills and bill of ladings in case an air bill is lost and you need a duplicate copy immediately.

Poppe suggests that once you select your freight company, you should ship 7 – 10 days ahead of your targeted move in date in order to avoid late penalties. And be sure to also communicate your trade show exhibit details with the company you select to do your trade show installation and dismantling. It's really all about communicating.

Remember, do your homework in advance and know what you can do to avoid major mishaps of shipping your trade show booth. By picking an experienced freight company, you can minimize your exposure to mislaid or damaged trade show booth components and budget cost overruns.

Dick Wheeler is President of Professional Exhibits & Graphics, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with a showroom in Sacramento. Firm is full-service premiere trade show exhibit, graphics and management services company. http://www.proexhibits.com