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<title>MLM_EWi_965</title>
<description>MLM The Easy Way - EWi Update</description>
<link>http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com</link>
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<item>
<title>Such A Simple Way to Make More Money from Your Existing Customer Base</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Mark Spall<br />
<br />
Most marketing gurus now agree on two key facts that apply to almost any business:<br />
<br />
* it takes at least seven ‘touches’ to turn a prospect into a sale.<br />
* it costs at least seven times as much to secure a new customer as to keep an existing one.<br />
<br />
Which means every successful business needs to have three tools at its disposal:<br />
<br />
* One to secure the loyalty of its customer base.<br />
* A second, to deliver those seven ‘touches’ after a prospective client first makes contact.<br />
* A third, that allows existing satisfied customers to pass referrals to friends, colleagues, and contacts.<br />
<br />
In addition, one simple marketing technique can do all three jobs – efficiently, measurably, and cost-effectively. That tool is a carefully crafted and targeted newsletter.<br />
<br />
Groaning at the thought of the effort required on your part. Then groan no more! There are companies out there that will design, write, and deliver your newsletter! All you have to do is service the extra business that will generate from your client base.<br />
<br />
Knowing there are people who will do the painful stuff for you, read on to find how newsletters make such a difference.<br />
<br />
It is a fair bet that someone out there right now is ready to buy what you are selling. However, they will buy from your competition, either because they do not know you, or because they have forgotten about you.<br />
<br />
With newsletters, you can reach out on a regular basis to your customer base. This valuable content will raise your profile, encourage repeat business, generate referrals, and be a permanent reminder of your brand and the value you offer.<br />
<br />
…but it has to be professional!<br />
<br />
Keeping your existing customers should be at the front of your mind. In fact, it should be the first thing you think about when you are looking at the marketing budget. This is where carefully targeted spending can and will deliver the best return on investment.<br />
<br />
A quality newsletter, delivered just often enough (but not too often), and offering something genuinely interesting or valuable to your customers, will ensure that customers are:<br />
<br />
* reminded about your company, and its products and services, at regular intervals<br />
* inspired and excited by stories from other satisfied clients<br />
* informed about new offerings – and, perhaps, given valuable introductory offers<br />
* encouraged to pass on your details to friends and colleagues<br />
<br />
Many businesses make the mistake of writing a newsletter ‘in-house’, – but its common knowledge that unless a business specializes in copywriting and design, it can accidentally create a lasting negative impression, and do more harm than good.<br />
<br />
For example:<br />
<br />
Imagine: You have just opened a bookstore. Your first customer comes in. They probably will only say ‘hello’ to you. Then they will start looking at the books – browsing. If you are very lucky, they will buy one. More likely, they will put the book back on the shelf, and depart without more ado.<br />
<br />
So how would you respond?<br />
<br />
Well, you could say ‘Excuse me, are you planning to buy a book?’<br />
You could say, ‘This isn’t a library, you know.’<br />
Alternatively, you could say, ‘That’s an interesting one, isn’t it? Have you seen his latest?’<br />
<br />
In other words, you could actively encourage that customer to come back and keep browsing until they find something they want to buy.<br />
<br />
A good newsletter is just like that. It was not written to sell your product directly – or at the very least, not all the time. It was written to encourage active browsing. To make your visitors come back to your website, repeatedly, until they are ready to buy. Think about that bookshop again. Suppose, as your browser was leaving, you said this: ‘I can see you’re a keen reader. Would you like to sign up for our free newsletter?’ Why is that so important? Well, think about it. If the customer says ‘yes’ you’re going to get their name and address. You are going to be able to send things to them – and get a better idea of their likes and dislikes.<br />
<br />
In addition, you will know that when there is a new thriller on the market, that first customer will be eagerly awaiting the chance to buy it. The equivalent tool on your website is a form inviting visitors to sign up to the newsletter – and it should be there on every page. Because what you really want, is that visitor’s e-mail address – along with their permission to send them your newsletter. In marketing terms, that is pure gold. In the course of time, you will be able to build up an ever-growing list of people who are actively interested in what you do. You really could not ask for much more!<br />
<br />
Therefore, your first contact with that customer was not a sale. It was that friendly invitation to sign up for your newsletter. The sale came much later – possibly after six or seven newsletters.<br />
<br />
To sum up:<br />
<br />
A good newsletter can:<br />
<br />
* Secure the loyalty of existing customers – and remind them about the full range of products/services you offer<br />
* Win the confidence and interest of potential new customers who have paid only one visit to your website<br />
* Make it easy for existing customers to pass referrals to people they know who are likely to be interested.<br />
<br />
Mark Spall is a Business Coach and helps his clients with practical advice on how to develop their businesses. More on using newsletters to power drive your business can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ylaqew.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Asking the Right Questions</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
<br />
By Liz Tahir<br />
<br />
Curt and Justin were life long fishing buddies. Now, in their retirement, together, they had taken up the art of ‘do-it-yourself home-improvers’. Curt decided to tackle wallpapering his living room. When he finished the job, he proudly called his friend over to see his handiwork. Justin was very impressed. In fact, he liked it so much; he asked his friend if he could get the same wallpaper for his living room. Their homes were practically identical in size and layout. Curt thought this was a great idea. Therefore, Justin asked him, “how many rolls of wallpaper he bought for the job?” Seven was the reply.<br />
<br />
Justin went right to work and when he finished, called his friend over to his house. “Ah, man, that looks really good”, said Curt. Then Justin said to his friend, “But you know, Curt, it’s a funny thing; our living rooms are the same size, but I had two rolls of wallpaper left over! How come?” To which Curt replied, “You, too? That’s exactly what I had left over!”<br />
<br />
Poor Justin; he asked his friend the wrong question. He should have asked how many rolls of wallpaper he needed to use for the job, not…how many rolls of wallpaper had Curt bought for the job.  <br />
<br />
Knowing the right questions to ask can have a dramatic effect on our success. Not having good information, or not getting the answers we need in doing our jobs can make all the difference in the world. What is hard to realize is that this is often of our own doing. How many times have you been surprised to learn of a turn of events and then asked your employees “Why didn’t you tell me that?” only to have they reply “You didn’t ask me.” Since it is illegal to strangle them when they say something like that, the best course is to figure out how to avoid such communication traps.<br />
<br />
The secret weapon of power negotiators is being skilled in asking questions. Why? One of the reasons is that questions get the communication going and encourages the other party to talk, to share information with you. In addition, what you always, always, are looking for is information, particularly something you do not know. Even when you think, you know the answers, get in the habit of asking questions; at least, it will confirm your knowledge. In addition, if you have somehow missed asking the right question, the answer you require will come out, the more the other party talks, and you are talking less.<br />
<br />
Of course, we are not talking here about hard interrogation. There is a difference between asking relevant questions and the demanding, rat-a-tat-tat fire of interrogation, as if you were the chief of police. Such action can rank anywhere from offensive to intimidating. In addition, you do not want to put people on the defensive. Asking a question like “How could you possibly have made that mistake?” will solve nothing. The person will just feel compelled to defend his actions. Something as if “What do we need to do to avoid this happening again?” is more likely to get you the answers you require. Your goal is to make sure people are comfortable about opening up and communicating with you.<br />
<br />
Train yourself to ask open-ended questions, ones that require complete answers, not by just yes or no, but that require longer, answers that are more expansive. Questions that begin with ‘Why’ or ‘What’ or ‘Who’ will tend to elicit more communication. In addition, you will have more chance of getting all the information you need.<br />
<br />
I have a question I try to remember to ask every time an associate discusses a situation with me. At the end of our discussion, I ask, “Is there anything else I need to know?” Alternatively, it may take the form of “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” It is the words “anything else” that are important here. Once asked, I pause and wait for a reply. That is my fair warning of their obligation and their opportunity to tell me everything that is relevant to this situation. No surprises later. So get in the habit of performing this little routine. You will have fewer surprises and no one will ever again be able to hide behind the cloak of “well, you didn’t ask me” or “I didn’t know you wanted to know.”<br />
<br />
Sometimes, we do not get the answers we need because we do not listen. Learn to be a good listener. Be sensitive to the possibility that you may be asking your associates the right questions, but not listening to them when they try to answer. Alternatively, maybe you are so fast and sure in your own thought process, that you interrupt and do not give them the opportunity to finish what they are saying before you jump in. Alternatively, you finish their answer for them. Curb these tendencies.<br />
<br />
Listening is not passive; a good listener can take complete control of an exchange between people. When you listen well, you earn the trust of others. People come to you with their problems, and their opportunities, when they feel they can trust you to listen.<br />
<br />
Your ears may be the receptor for the sounds you hear when you are listening, but something else about you is equally important: your eyes. If you are not making good eye contact or are continually moving around, the other person will not “feel” listened to. They will know you did not hear them. Look directly at the person the whole time they are talking. If it is a particularly long dissertation, you can look away or look down to jot a note, but only for a second before looking right back at them. When you do not maintain this direct eye focus, the person will feel that you do not think what they have to say is valuable to you anyway, so why bother fully answering your questions or coming to you with information.<br />
<br />
Having good information is critical in business today. It is yours for the (right) asking!<br />
<br />
Copyright 2006, Liz Tahir<br />
<br />
Liz Tahir is an international marketing consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, whose mission is to help companies be more effective and profitable. Based in New Orleans, LA, USA, she can be contacted at (504)-569-1670; liz@liztahir.com; http://www.liztahir.com.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Ready Set Go - The 30 Minute Article</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Kevin Sinclair<br />
<br />
You need an article for your newsletter, and you need it now. In fact, you can spare only forty minutes to get the article written, edited, and slotted into place.<br />
<br />
Breaking it down, this means, you have to write the first draft in around 30 minutes. Not a lot of time - especially if you do not consider yourself much of a writer. The good news is that  you can do it  - and do it well. Here is how to generate a 400-500-word article in a short time.<br />
<br />
1. Turbo-Outlining.<br />
<br />
Give yourself 5-10 minutes for this part of the process. If you already have a topic in mind, you are in front. If not, you have exactly 90 seconds to decide. Presumably you understand where your readers are coming from (if not, you are in big trouble.) Use those 90 seconds to jot down words or phrases that summarize anything that is likely to be causing them a problem. Naturally, this needs to be a problem that YOU can help solve in your article.<br />
<br />
From this list, choose the topic that appeals to you most. Now - in three and a half minutes - it is time to outline the article. Use these headers to guide you:<br />
<br />
a. State the problem - and promise a solution. (Just jot down quick notes at this stage.)<br />
<br />
b. Outline the process for solving the problem. Divide this into 3-5 logical steps. Label each step (this will become a sub-heading in your article).<br />
<br />
c. Jot down points you want to make in your conclusion. This can be advice on how to ensure that the problem does not recur, or offer links to resources that can help. End on a positive note that leaves the reader feeling glad that he read your advice.<br />
<br />
2. Speed-Writing Your First Draft.<br />
<br />
Allow 20-25 minutes to write the first draft. Spend an extra few minutes on the first paragraph. This is where your reader will decide whether to continue reading. Your job is to show you understand exactly what the problem is and to sound confident that you can help them solve it. Do not use long-winded sentences or ramble on about how awful it is - just get to the point. By the end of the first half-dozen sentences, your reader needs to feel connected to read more and find out the solution.<br />
<br />
Each of your 3-5 sub-headings should clearly indicate what the following paragraphs contain Remember, many readers skim-read an article to see if it is worth reading. Look at the words you have chosen - can you rephrase these headings to make the whole process sound simpler or faster?<br />
<br />
Under each sub-heading, write two or three paragraphs pertaining to the problem-solving strategy you are outlining. Since you are writing this quickly, it is likely you will automatically adopt a forthright, casual tone. If you find yourself writing in overly formal language, stop, and reconsider. The best 'how to' articles use simple language and everyday terminology. Make it as easy as possible for your reader to follow.<br />
<br />
The ending is just as important as the opening paragraph. It is vital not to let the article fizzle out in a weak conclusion. You need to leave your reader feeling inspired, energized, and confident that they can follow your advice and fix the problem. <br />
<br />
You can:<br />
- tell them how much time/energy/money they will save by following your advice<br />
- Share a 'secret' of some kind that will help them move on to the next step (be more successful, save even more time, etc)<br />
- point them to further helps or resources. (These can be provided by you and your web site, or by others who have a level of expertise.)<br />
<br />
3. Tweak and Polish.<br />
<br />
After thirty minutes, you should have an excellent basis for your article. If you can afford to take fifteen minutes out at this stage for a cup of coffee or a quick walk, do so. It is always better to take a break before editing your work. If not, just start reading it from the beginning. Check for these things:<br />
<br />
a. Spelling and grammar. Your computer should do most of the work here, but a computer can miss typos or offer strange advice when it comes to grammar. You need to read it through yourself for flow and overall impact.<br />
<br />
b. Wordy sentences or phrases. Weed them out!<br />
<br />
c. Badly-phrased advice. If a sentence does not flow, write it again. Think of how you would explain to someone else in a casual conversation. Does your writing reflect this?<br />
<br />
d. Missing steps. When you are familiar with a process, or trouble-shooting, it is all too easy to leave out a step or a small but vital piece of information. Run over the whole process in your mind to make sure you have not left anything out.<br />
<br />
Now, you should have a finished article that will prove both interesting and helpful to many of your readers. At worst, it will be competent. At best, it will surprise you with what you can achieve in a short time!<br />
<br />
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of http://besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<title>The New Playing Field: Today’s Women’s Market</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Delia Passi<br />
<br />
Salesperson Rick escorts prospective customer Sandra to the door, and shakes her hand, then turns back to his office.<br />
<br />
Rick (to himself): “That went great. I managed to hit every selling point and ask all the important questions. I am sure she is confident that we have what she wants. She will go home, get permission from her husband and probably bring him back, and sign the papers. If I don’t hear from her by the end of the week, I’ll follow up.”<br />
<br />
Sandra (to herself): “What a waste of time, and like I have time to waste! I do not think he listened once to what I was saying, or maybe he was too preoccupied trying to get through his pitch. I hope I find someone soon who will be the right person to help me find the right car and the best deal. This is so frustrating.”<br />
<br />
Selling is a communication process. Communication means the transmission of ideas or information. With women, the communication process becomes a bit more complex than just making your pitch or gathering information. It is apparent through my many years of training salespeople that selling to women is harder than selling to men. Women take longer, need more input, expect service that is more attentive, and require more follow-up. I have heard the same story repeatedly: Women are tougher customers to do business with, and they demand more service than men do.<br />
<br />
So why bother? By now, you already know the drill. For one thing, anyone who succeeds in selling and servicing women customers will tell you that the extra effort will pay you back in multiples. You could say that 1 + 1 = 3. That means, sell well to one woman and she will reward you with her business, her loyalty (more business), and probably a large number of referrals to other women (and the beat goes on).<br />
<br />
For another, there is an even larger payoff as well: Once you can effectively sell, market to, and retain women customers, you will have the tools to sell more successfully to anyone. Men may not need the extra attention—but will appreciate it. In addition, almost any target market you can name demands attentive adjustments to their way of shopping, deciding, and buying. Think minority markets. Think ethnic markets. Think Baby Boomers. Think seniors. Think about it: That means a lot of new business.<br />
<br />
Now whether she likes the sales experience or not, eventually she has got to buy from someone. However, when given a choice, a woman will go out of her way to do business with someone who provides the experience she prefers.<br />
<br />
What does this mean to you? As a salesperson, you can create an advantage for your product by providing an experience that cannot be found at your competitors.<br />
<br />
Being the first one on your block to master the technique of selling to women is also more valuable than her business alone. Let’s face it: women talk. They like to share stories and compare notes. They care about sparing their friends or family unpleasant experiences.<br />
<br />
The New Woman Customer<br />
<br />
Women today have the discretionary and disposable income to buy more of whatever they want. They are the largest and best growth market out there—and they are never going back to the way things were.<br />
<br />
The growing ranks of well-educated women are the ones who will go on to become the high earners in their professions. In addition, in corporate America, right now women hold the majority—50.5%—of management and professional jobs, according to Catalyst, even though they make up only 46.5% of the U.S. labor force.<br />
<br />
That spells serious money to spend. Now that their lives have grown, women act even more decisively not only as buyers, but also as gatekeepers and deal-breakers. Clearly, we are well past the era of the dependent woman, whose access to financial wherewithal and purchasing decision-making was more passive and secondhand. The new breed of woman consumer today is educated, informed, and more empowered than ever.<br />
<br />
Tips for car dealers:<br />
<br />
1. Get your business in order first. That means making sure your showrooms and your environment/individual offices are women friendly.<br />
<br />
2. Create a business and marketing plan to increase your business among women. Dealers who made the effort to create a plan have increased their sales among women up to 50%.<br />
<br />
3. Put your active listening skills into high gear. Women claim that they are often “not heard” or understood.<br />
<br />
4. Be patient. Recognize that women take more time in the sales process. Use this time to learn more about her.<br />
<br />
5. Build trust with your women clients. That means returning her calls the same day, calling her quarterly just to connect, create anywhere from 5 to 10 points of contact throughout the year which can include newsletters, emails, holiday cards, etc. The more valuable the client, the more points of contact!<br />
<br />
6. Be religious about the seven-step process to selling to women so that you will exceed her expectations and build your business through loyalty and referrals!<br />
<br />
Delia Passi is president of MedeliaCommunications and former Group Publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines. She is a nationally recognized speaker, sales trainer and author of the Winning Strategies for Marketing and Selling to Women, audio book series. For more information visit http://www.deliapassi.com.<br />
<br />
Delia Passi is the nation’s leading authority on Selling to Women. As President and CEO of MedeliaCommunications, Passi supports companies in their efforts to be the very best in their industry at closing the deal with the woman customer and retaining that customer forever. Passi is a prominent speaker, trains thousands of sales representatives each year on how to better sell to women, and couples through a series of sales development, training programs that she has created. Passi is also the author of Winning the Toughest Customer, The Essential Guide to Selling to Women (Kaplan, 2006)<br />
<br />
As a consultant to numerous Fortune 500 companies, Passi has had great success in forging strategic partnerships with corporations through sophisticated and unique programs that increased product/brand visibility, strengthened brand/product position, created greater credibility, and delivered a larger audience among women. Client companies include Washington Mutual, UPS, Xerox, Office Depot, HP and UBS.<br />
<br />
Passi’s knowledge is complimented from a successful career of proven sales, marketing, branding, and entrepreneurial experience. Prior to founding MedeliaCommunications, Passi was the Group Publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines. She began her career with the Xerox Corporation and quickly became one of the company’s top producers. It was when she switched to selling advertising that she recognized how a different approach worked so effectively when selling to women, who dominate the publishing environment.<br />
<br />
Passi regularly speaks on Selling to Women, Marketing to Women, Target Selling, Target Marketing, Selling to Baby Boomer Women, Selling to Affluent Women, and Selling and Marketing to Women Business Owners across the nation. From 1998-2003, Passi sat on several advisory boards including Women in Communication’s Golf Matrix, Save the Children, NOW, and Boardroom Bound. She recently joined the New World Symphony in Miami as the Branding Committee Co-Chairperson for the Board of Directors.<br />
<br />
Passi earned her BA degree in Psychology/Business and a certification in education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the College of New Rochelle, NY. She resides in Aventura, Florida with her husband and three daughters.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<title>Use Customer Audio Testimonials to Beat Out the Competition</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Diana D'Itri<br />
<br />
Getting prospects is only one piece of the sales puzzle. Once you have interest, whether it comes from word of mouth, traditional advertising, or the Internet, time is not your friend. You must convince that prospect, as quickly as possible, that you are the best candidate for the job. If you are not expeditious in conveying your credibility and ability to measure up, then you could lose that prospect to your ever-awaiting competition.<br />
<br />
With that said, competition is not always a bad thing. Especially if you can prove that, you are better than they are.<br />
<br />
How do you prove that you are as good as you say you are? Use authentic customer audio testimonials to say it for you. Your best customers have a compelling story to tell others about their experience with you and their positive word of mouth can convince your prospects to do business with you.<br />
<br />
With so much deceit and hype these days in advertising, an actual heartfelt testimonial heard from a happy satisfied customer, can be the tiebreaker that makes your prospect choose your business over your competition.<br />
<br />
We have all been there. Desperate for help with a particular need, perhaps our roof is leaking or we need a new doctor, whatever the product or service, a referral is comforting when we are in critical need of a good service provider.<br />
<br />
If we do not have a first hand referral from a friend or colleague, would we settle for a second or even third hand referral? Sure, we would.<br />
<br />
The human psyche likes to be reassured when dishing out hard-earned cash for a product or service. Almost any referral is better than no referral, when it comes to entrusting our homes and lives to someone.<br />
<br />
Have you noticed you are more inclined to go to a movie or a restaurant when someone else said how good it was? It did not matter whether you knew the person giving the referral or not. Their first hand experience transferred to you, boosted your comfort level and propelled you to go see that movie or eat at that restaurant the next time you were in the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
I have a friend, who every time he orders from a menu at a restaurant, asks the server for their opinion about what is good on the menu. He likes the reassurance he gets from their recommendation and it affects his decision on what menu item he tries.<br />
<br />
While it is true most businesses have written client testimonials displayed on their web sites and office coffee tables, unless those testimonials are from well-known businesses, sometimes written testimonials are often glossed over.<br />
<br />
However, there is an amazing thing that happens when a real customer speaks from the heart, and the listener senses the honesty in the person's voice.<br />
<br />
If it is a put on, insincere, most people can tell the difference. When it is heartfelt, that is what moves the listener.  It is what they hear.<br />
<br />
Just think about the radio. Numerous products are sold by a voice coming through a speaker.<br />
<br />
With audio testimonials, your business can compete with the big boys. Recently, Mercury Car Insurance used testimonials to sell their services on television. It must have worked because, for months, they featured the testimonials in many commercials. Just listen to the radio or watch television to observe how many successful companies still use testimonials to support their claims.<br />
<br />
There are two ways to capture a live audio testimonial from a satisfied customer and there are several places to showcase them once you have them.<br />
<br />
With the increase in broadband capabilities on the Internet these past few years, the Web is one place that audio and/or video testimonials can be effective.<br />
<br />
If your customer is a truly satisfied one, then he or she is always happy to oblige by recording a positive testimonial about their experience with your business. However, remember, because they are important to you, be extra kind to them by making the experience as painless as possible. Sticking a camera in front of their face and asking them to answer questions will be challenging for you and them, and does not always result in the best testimonial (unless your clients are actors or used to being in front of a camera). Most likely, your customer participant will feel more comfortable giving his or her testimonial over the telephone, which will create a more authentic, and compelling result.<br />
<br />
Your business can capture audio testimonials from your satisfied customers in two ways:<br />
<br />
1. Hire a professional review company to help facilitate and record your testimonial participants.<br />
<br />
a. An interviewer will record your customers for you. This method authenticates your testimonials and saves you the awkwardness of doing it yourself.<br />
<br />
2. Set up a dedicated telephone line that will record and prompt your customers to leave a testimonial.<br />
<br />
a. There are audio companies that offer this service for a monthly subscription and you ask your customers to call an 800 number where they can leave the testimonial.<br />
<br />
Once you have captured several audio testimonials, it makes sense to showcase them everywhere and anywhere you typically advertise.<br />
<br />
· Web site pages<br />
<br />
* Place your customer reviews on your testimonials page, front page, or next to areas on your site that can be corroborated by a testimonial.<br />
<br />
· Email<br />
<br />
*Talk to your web master about Imbedding a customer testimonial link on the top, bottom, or side of your email page.<br />
<br />
· On Hold<br />
<br />
*Incorporate your audio testimonials into your 'on hold' message so callers can hear them while they are waiting.<br />
<br />
· Radio Ads<br />
<br />
*Write a radio ad that features your customer's testimonials. (If it is good enough for Mercury Insurance, why not you?)<br />
<br />
Seeing is believing, but seeing and hearing motivates people to act. You have worked hard to grow your business. Audio testimonials are a priceless reward for a job well done.<br />
<br />
Your prospects will be more motivated to do business with you when they hear the voice of your satisfied customer singing your praises.<br />
<br />
Diana D'Itri is Co-Owner of RaveBiz, a testimonial-broadcasting agency. Diana has spent the past four years educating small and medium sized business on how word of mouth & referral strategies can grow business and reduce ad spend.<br />
<br />
Visit http://www.ravebroadcasting.com or http://www.competitionscoop.com/landscaping.html to listen to audio rave reviews.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>How Offline List Brokers Can Make Your Online List Grow Bigger</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Michael Senoff<br />
<br />
One of the big Internet marketing breakthroughs you may hear people talking about is using direct mail.<br />
<br />
In other words, getting the postal addresses of your email list and sending them offline offers. Many of the top Internet marketers in the world do this and swear they double, triple, even quadruple their sales.<br />
<br />
I believe this to be true from my own tests and observations as well. What is even more exciting is that many of these experts are renting lists of offline people and driving them to their websites to capture their email addresses. In other words, expanding their email lists using offline lists.<br />
<br />
However, if you decide to do this, you must be careful from whom you get your lists. There is an art to finding a good mailing list and most Internet marketers have not really had a chance to learn about it.<br />
<br />
This brings me to a recent interview I did with legendary copywriter Bob Bly. Bob gave me a great tip on making the whole list renting issue painless and easy.<br />
<br />
He said, "Never, ever rent a list from a list owner." Why, because you are obviously not going to get an unbiased answer when you inquire as to the quality of the list. A list owner can, (and probably will in many cases), tell you whatever you want to hear.<br />
<br />
Bob said always go to a good list broker. A list broker is someone who finds lists for you, does all the work, and then delivers you the exact list you are looking for.<br />
<br />
The way Bob explained it to me was it costs you nothing to use a list broker since the list owner, not you, pays him. Plus, it is in the broker's best interest to please you and give you what you want since he wants your repeat business. If he messes around and gives you a non-responsive list, or does not actually go the extra mile to make sure you are happy and successful and make money from your mailing, then he knows you probably will not be back.<br />
<br />
This may sound like simple advice. But the fact is most Internet marketers have never dealt with offline lists before, and it can be a very different animal than online lists and joint ventures.<br />
<br />
And so, if you are going to be expanding your Internet marketing business by going to offline lists and trying to drive them to your online list, make sure you consider the advice Bob gave in the interview.<br />
<br />
It could save you a lot of time, money and frustration.<br />
<br />
For 117-hour marketing advice from gurus in all aspects of direct mail marketing, go to Michael Senoff's http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/audioclips.htm<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>How to Network for Success</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Marc de Bruin<br />
<br />
It is not what you know; it is whom you know. That saying goes around quite a lot. It definitely has a lot truth in it. I do not think it is the only truth about getting and keeping your business up and running. There are many, many more options. For the sake of this article, I will focus on networking as a client generator, and it can make you see the usefulness of having many business relations.<br />
<br />
Networking forms a very important part of every small and medium sized business owner’s activities. There is a lot of business done over breakfasts, beers and barbecues with fellow business people. Let’s face it; it’s an easy way. Not only can you have a good time getting together for a couple of drinks, when you know it can benefit your business, as well, the fun just gets better!<br />
<br />
When I first started as an attorney in the Netherlands, I didn’t understand much about the concept of networking. I didn’t even have a concept. The older partners suggested that I join groups like Rotary or Lions, and business oriented ones. I started to get an idea. The joining wasn’t for the fun; ultimately, I had to join the groups for the good of the firm and my practice.<br />
<br />
I didn’t particularly like the whole idea of joining up with people, not because of me as a person, but because of the potential business that might come from being part of the group. That didn’t align with my values at the time (we’re talking 1994-1997). Now, several years later, and immigrated to Australia, I honestly enjoy networking, and am always on the lookout for other interest groups I can join.<br />
<br />
It took me years to see and understand the value of networking in terms of creating relationships and building up businesses, and in my current practice, I absolutely make a point of stressing the importance of it to my clients.<br />
<br />
For me, the value of knowing people became very apparent, when I moved to Australia with my family. Knowing no one at first, starting completely afresh with no history whatsoever, networking has proven highly valuable in getting my Coaching and Body Stress Release practices running. I linked up with Toastmasters International and two breakfast business referral groups, created a Dutch networking group, and set up a “coaches coffee club”, together with a fellow business coach.<br />
<br />
My intentions were two-fold: getting to know people for the sake of getting to know them and to build new friendships, and of course for the sake of establishing business relationships and promoting my work. The two go very well together. There is not a part in me anymore that feels uncomfortable with it. Establishing friendships often is serious, and establishing business relationships often means friendships.<br />
<br />
If you are serious about getting and keeping your business running, I urge you to look at many networking opportunities. I must confess, my personality type, (according to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator), is not naturally inclined to network and mingle easily, so for me, it was a learning curve. Factually, tapping into networks is so valuable, and made doing so a lot easier. Do not get discouraged. If you do not particularly like large crowds, just be clear about your outcome, and enjoy the process!<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of resources for you to tap into when you are looking for networking opportunities:<br />
<br />
- Referral Groups: Breakfast Network International (BNI), the Leads Club, local business referral groups, to be found via your Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Field Officer (or similar authority).<br />
<br />
- Service Clubs: Lions, Rotary, Zonta, Kiwanis, Round Table, Junior Chamber, Soroptimist, to name but a few.<br />
<br />
- Public Speaking Groups: Toastmasters International, Rostrum, National Speakers Association, etc.<br />
<br />
- Special interest groups within your line of work, in my case for instance the International Coaching Federation, the Australian Life Coaching Society, Coachville. There are many others to be found in your specific expertise.<br />
<br />
- Local business groups like Chambers of Commerce, Business Women’s Networks, Networking events organized by local government, etc.<br />
<br />
- Self-initiated interest groups, like my Dutch networking group, the Coaches Coffee Club, etc.<br />
<br />
- Local hobby groups: bridge, crafts, cars, motors, plants, or whatever it is that takes your fancy.<br />
<br />
- Any other online and offline networks you can find in local, daily, or weekly newspapers, on the internet, through referrals, in Yellow Pages, and via local business advise bureaus. You will have to keep your eyes peeled for opportunities, and scour through all available means of communication.<br />
<br />
- Make “being in contact” a structural thing on your to-do list. If you haven’t spoken to someone you know for a couple of months, send him/her an email, or give him/her a ring. They’ll appreciate it, and brings you back into their awareness, which is where you want to be for sure!<br />
<br />
Go out and do something. Sitting still and waiting for the clients/customers to come in based upon your current contact lists may pay off in the long run, if you are able to stick around long enough…..It is smarter to take pro-active action, and create your own network of people you meet or speak to  regularly. This will absolutely increase your business volume in the short term, and give you a very steady base in the future as well.<br />
<br />
Marc is a certified life/business coach, master NLP Practitioner on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He specializes in restoring people's health, and coaching professionals and small business owners at critical junctions in their careers and/or lives, so they can move to the "next level".<br />
<br />
Marc de Bruin is a certified life/business coach and master NLP practitioner on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Email him for a free phone or face-to-face session on marc@landmarc.info<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Advanced E-mail Marketing Tips</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Juste Gnimavo<br />
<br />
There are two types of marketing: unsolicited e-mail (cold selling), and opt-in selling. Keep them in mind when you create your messages and build your subscriber list. I highly recommend you do not engage in cold selling. This is considered spam. If enough people report your address as spam, you will be banned from ISPs and search engines. The occasional sale you see from cold selling will not be enough to compensate for you being blacklisted on the internet.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, building an opt-in list is a perfectly acceptable and highly successful method that will keep you from being labeled, bad business. With an opt-in list, people ask to be added to your subscriber database because they are interested in your topic. Opt-in subscribers should always be given the option to opt out.<br />
<br />
However, you would be surprised how many people do not bother clicking the unsubscribe link, and eventually make their way to your site to investigate your product further.<br />
<br />
When preparing your autoresponder messages, it is imperative to strike a balance between excitement and hype about your product.<br />
<br />
You must avoid wording your messages so they look, feel, and smell like spam, even if they have been requested. This means following the rules of creating direct and simple messages. For example, no writing in ALL CAPS, or putting seven exclamation points at the end of every paragraph.<br />
<br />
Here are also a few other deadly spam sins to avoid:<br />
<br />
Just about every e-mail program has built-in spam filters that route unwanted messages to a separate folder, often called a "bulk" folder, whose contents are routinely deleted by either the program or the owner of the account. Following the suggestions above for avoiding spam-type messages will go a long way toward ensuring your autoresponders is not diverted to an early grave.<br />
<br />
Here are more tips on beating spam filters and verification programs:<br />
<br />
1. On your "Thank You" pages, remind your subscriber:<br />
<br />
- His must check his email for a confirmation message from YOUR NAME (or your email address) and must click on the activation link in order to receive YOUR OFFER.<br />
<br />
- If he is using spam blockers such as SpamBully, SpamArrest, Earthlink, KnowSpam or FilterMy, and did not get your email: it may have been blocked by his computer's, or ISP's spam filters, or trapped in his spam (or bulk) folder.<br />
<br />
- If he does not receive your welcome email, indicate to him to check his trash or spam folders.<br />
<br />
2. 4 steps to follow in sending your messages in the mail box of your subscribers.<br />
<br />
- Never, begin your subject line with ADV: or include the word "advertisement".<br />
<br />
- Never use the word "free" in the subject line-especially in all caps.<br />
<br />
- In fact, never use the word FREE (in all caps) anywhere in the message. If possible, avoid using all caps altogether.<br />
<br />
- From address: When you set up your web site and associated e- mail accounts, do not name any account sales@yourdomainname.com - this guarantees you an automatic trip to the bulk folder.<br />
<br />
- Within the message: Never say "for free? (!)" or use the words "extra income" in the body of your message. Recently, many internet marketers attempting to bypass spam filters have begun breaking up the word "free" anywhere it appears in their sales copy: f-ree or fr.ee are the most commonly used methods.<br />
<br />
3. Formatting your autoresponder messages.<br />
<br />
Every e-mail program is different, allowing different line lengths for their viewing windows. If your e-mail program allows 75 characters per line, it may look fine on your screen-but when you send it to someone whose program allows only 70 characters per line, those last five characters get moved to the next line and break up your message with those pesky > signs.<br />
<br />
Another potential problem is the font you choose.<br />
<br />
Fonts like Courier New are fixed-width: every character takes up the same amount of space. However, fonts like Times New Roman and Arial have varying width according to the character.<br />
<br />
Do not write your message in 16-point Impact Red or other "flashy" font styles and sizes.<br />
<br />
This does not draw attention to your product. It draws attention to your inexperience. For the most part, keep your entire message in the same font and type size, (10-point size is best in nearly every case) and make sure each line is 60 to 65 characters long. When you reach the limit, use a hard return to start the next line rather than allowing your word processing program to wrap the text.<br />
<br />
Use emphasis like color, bold and italics sparingly for effect.<br />
<br />
4. Structure your messages and make sure you easily keep reading.<br />
<br />
Do not stuff your messages with "cool" graphics, animated smiley’s, or a dreaded Flash presentation. This slows down load time considerably, and many people will not wait for your incredible pictures to appear on the screen. Tell them exactly how they will benefit from it, and put substance in your send-outs. People want to know that you know about what you are sharing!<br />
<br />
5. Do not use chat language in the text of your message.<br />
<br />
Even to people who know what LOL, IMHO, or IOW stand for.<br />
<br />
This is not professional and does not score you any "friendly" points. In addition, if your subscribers do not know what these abbreviations stand for, they will be quick to dismiss you as inept. In case, you do not know yourself: LOL=laughing out loud, or laughing on line; IMHO=in my humble opinion, or another meaning.<br />
<br />
6. Do remind people that:<br />
<br />
1. They are receiving your message because they requested more information, or a friend suggested they would like to receive the information. <br />
<br />
2. They can opt out of further messages using a link you have provided at the end of the message.<br />
<br />
Keep your messages out of spam oblivion by adhering to these guidelines, and you will see your sales and response rates climb.<br />
<br />
Juste GNIMAVO is an Internet Marketer and Owner of http://affiliate-internet-marketing-tips.com. To find Advanced Internet Marketing Secrets and email marketing software visit => http://affiliate-internet-marketing-tips.com internet-marketing-tips.com<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Two of The Most Effective Online Marketing Tools</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
by George Marshall<br />
<br />
Article Writing As A Marketing Tool<br />
<br />
Whether you are targeting a niche market or a wider more general audience, one of the most effective tools to reach those interested in what you have to offer is writing and submitting articles concerning your particular craft. Article marketing is a great way for the average person to do some great things with their marketing efforts. One effective reason is that it allows the marketer to project the writer's own business ideas, values, and expectations into the article itself.  It gives the reader a 'real sense' of the writer's character, thus establishing an immediate bond or sense of trust. It instills confidence in the reader for the writer, product, and or service. At the same time, it can also reveal character flaws in writers of poorly written articles. The fakes will eventually make themselves known. Anyone who knows something and can write, or even pay someone to write for them, can use articles to their advantage. Here are a few tips in writing an article that will attract the most readers.<br />
<br />
1. It will help your sales if you keep your articles short and to the point. As the clich goes, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to keep it interesting; 500 to 750 words is long enough to give your readers information they can use and implement instantly and still be short enough not to bore them.<br />
<br />
2. When people read articles, they want information they can put to use immediately. I have found that if you are targeting the Internet Marketing niche, your articles will get a better response and you will make more sales if you give people a plan they can use to make money from your article. If you are writing the article for a niche market you want to sell to, explain the benefits of your items, and explain how the readers can use or apply them to make their lives easier, get things done faster, or explain whatever it is your items do.<br />
<br />
3. One of the most important parts to your article is your article title; it can make or break your article. Describe in your article title what the article is about or what information it will disclose. Example, if you are writing about how to prepare good quality and quick 'after work' meals, you might compose a title such as "5 Easy And Delicious 'After Work' Meals You Can Fix This Week." Not perfect but you get the idea.<br />
<br />
Article writing works as a very effective online marketing tool because it goes hand in hand with learning to market yourself as your primary product rather than focusing entirely on a particular business or program.<br />
<br />
To help you along with your own efforts with articles here's a fewer resources I highly recommend:<br />
<br />
*ArticleBuilder.Net A very useful article building tool to help in the formulation and mental stimulation for ideas and the actual creation of the article. It has a very large database of articles to draw from.<br />
<br />
*ArticleMarketer.com A very useful service that will submit your article to 30,000 publishers<br />
<br />
* EzineArticles.com Hands down the best directory to submit your articles to for maximum exposure. It has a strict "quality" policy too so once you are in; you gain some instant credibility. You have to live up to it with each subsequent submission too...and I am listed as an Expert Author. Sweet!<br />
<br />
The Value Of Forums As A Marketing Tool<br />
<br />
Another extremely effective online marketing tool is the use of online business or general information forums. Simply put, recognition as an expert in your field leads to acceptance and respect, which in turn leads to Sales! One of the fastest ways to become recognized as an expert is to offer helpful and valuable posts on a regular basis in forums where your target market or audience gather.<br />
<br />
A forum is an online community for discussion among Internet users, used by some of the best Internet marketers in the world. It is also a training ground for the up and coming. It is a place to share ideas, find answers, solve problems, make friends, and develop partnerships. It is also a support system or resource for most any business, on or offline.<br />
<br />
It is no secret, but takes some longer to learn than others, that to be successful you must market yourself first. Forums are the perfect place to promote yourself and your business. By adding value to discussions, you are promoting yourself as an expert in your field, gaining recognition. There is a legend in most forums that the more posts you have, the more money you make online. By becoming an active contributor to forums, you gain recognition, and people pay more attention to your posts.<br />
<br />
Search "forum" plus the topic of your choice using Google or AltaVista to find a whole list of forums available. You may also contact some of the professional organizations in your trade to see if they have a forum.<br />
<br />
Posting too many forums can be a little tedious if you have to log in and browse through your previous postings or find new topics where you can respond. I recommend an automated posting package or software to enable multiple thread tracking. This will speed up the task of message posting and an unlimited number of forums while managing multiple conversation threads. You can automatically track all replies and organize them as you continue to respond and post to multiple forums. I am sure there are many to choose from but I use and recommend Forum Fortune as the submitter of choice.<br />
<br />
George Marshall<br />
Want More Qualified Traffic?<br />
Get Prospects To Call You - Allows You To Save Valuable Time for the Serious Ones.<br />
http://g-marshall.ws<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>How to Harness the Power of Email for Marketing Success</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Anthony Braide<br />
<br />
Spammers have done their best to give email marketing a bad name. Email is such an all-pervasive communication tool, and its use as an extremely effective means of building customer relationships and selling products and services remains un-dented. Imagine trying to run your business today without access to email - it would be impossible. In fact, surveys have found that the vast majority of internet user's site email as their primary reason for using the internet, despite the spammers' best efforts.<br />
<br />
While we are on the subject of spam, here is a quick word to the wise, do not do it!<br />
<br />
It is an effective way of upsetting future clients and associating your company, products and services with dodgy Viagra, porn, and scam artists. Most importantly, spam does not work. It is as simple as that.<br />
<br />
However, opt-in email marketing is exploding because it does work. Companies are lured to it by incredibly low costs and high response rates. It is easy to get started, and it puts any organization, large or small, on a level playing field.<br />
<br />
There is a right way and a wrong way to do anything and the vast majority of email marketers are getting it wrong. The industry is young. Those who are doing well are not falling over themselves to share the secrets of their email marketing success with competitors. However, there is some good news. Unlike conventional direct marketing pieces, email marketing is both cheap and easy to test, and the results can be comparatively easy to collate and analyze.<br />
<br />
If that is the case, then why do so many of the marketing emails I receive get just about everything wrong? Why do not the senders never seem to learn from their mistakes?<br />
<br />
Learn from your mistakes<br />
<br />
The advantage that email marketing has over any other type of marketing is its tractability. Instant, live results from your marketing campaign were a marketers dream just a few, short years ago. Now they are a reality, but not everyone is taking advantage.<br />
<br />
Emailing your database from Outlook or using bulk email sending software is usually a waste of time for both you and the recipient. The main reason being, you get little or no feedback, unless a recipient chooses to email you back. True, you can set up a read receipt in Outlook but that only tells you a very small part of the story. Imagine if you could tell, at a glance, who is not interested in your services and really does not want to hear from you again, (do not waste any more of your valuable time on them). Alternatively, who opened your email and read it repeatedly, (wow, those people must really be interested!) Better still, imagine if they clicked directly through to your website and you knew what link they clicked on (you would know exactly what interested them). Useful stuff like that!<br />
<br />
Fortunately, all that information is easy to obtain if you use a good email-marketing tool like www.livewirecampaign.co.uk rather than Outlook. There might be a learning curve of a few days, but it is worth it, to make your emails 100% more effective, right?<br />
<br />
With this kind of marketing intelligence you can really start to harness the power of email, because email can give you something special - instant, live, two-way communication from every address you deliver. That is right, every single one. Even emails that bounce back tell you something - it's likely those addresses are dead and you need to update your database. If you are getting 20% opens and only 22% reads, then you know something about your email is not connecting with your recipients. If it was; they would be reopening the email to re-read it or show it to the boss, so you would be getting a much higher percentage of 'reads' to 'opens'.<br />
<br />
With this kind of in-depth information, you can begin to learn from what you are getting right and what you are getting wrong. You can begin to mould your campaigns and target your messages. Improve your response rates and follow up on click throughs. In essence, learn from your mistakes and find out what works for you.<br />
<br />
To start you on the right track, here are five tried and tested ways of improving the effectiveness of your emails.<br />
<br />
1. Keep your subject lines short and to the point. Longer than 40 characters and they will be cut off by many email clients. Do not use words like OFFER or FREE or exclamation marks for emphasis!!! You will be relegated to the spam folder.<br />
<br />
2. Keep it simple stupid. Do not make your emails too long or try to cram in to many offers. You have got a second or so to grab your readers' attention so keep it concise.<br />
<br />
3. Let your readers know what to do next. Put a clear call to action on your email; use a link to your website or your telephone number, big and bold.<br />
<br />
4. Make it time limited. Putting a deadline on your email proves to increase response rates. Make it clear to your recipients that if they snooze they loose!<br />
<br />
5. Time it right. Do not send your email at 10'o'clock on a Monday morning when everyone is manic. It is going to get deleted. Timing is everything so choose a time of day when your recipient will be more receptive.<br />
<br />
Pay close attention to just these five rules and I guarantee you will improve your response rates. Good luck and remember the power of email marketing; customer knowledge!<br />
<br />
Anthony Braide is Managing Director of Gencia Media Ltd, makers of http://LiveWireCampaign.co.uk<br />
<br />
LiveWire Campaign is a UK Company that gives you access to free email marketing to you clients and candidates. No need to pay for expensive software, just create your free account and start your first campaign today. Send a campaign to up to 50 recipients per month free. Purchase a unique Pay-as-you-go voucher if you need to send more.<br />
<br />
Visit the website at http://www.LiveWireCampaign.co.uk or call 01565 641481 and speak to an Email Marketing Specialist.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>The Top 10 Ultra-Low Risk Marketing Methods Guaranteed to Squeeze More Profit Out of Your Business</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Paul Speziale<br />
<br />
You can do many things to cut your costs and lower the risks when you market your business. Your marketing does not have to be the bottomless pit of your hard-earned money. Your marketing should give you a return on your investment. Follow these top 10 tips and start increasing your bottom line today.<br />
<br />
1. Use Only Direct Marketing<br />
<br />
Cost: Cost of Direct Marketing Education, Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Direct marketing is marketing that is testable and therefore accountable for your money. Put a code on all your ads, coupons etc. so you know where they come from and can measure the response. Then you can use spreadsheets to calculate exactly what you need to be profitable. It is vital to crunch the numbers to see if a particular marketing idea you have makes business sense.<br />
<br />
2. Find a Product That Fits the Market<br />
<br />
Cost: Cost of product/service development, Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Ninety-five percent of people out there develop the product first then find a market for it. That is a lot of wasted time and effort. Take the road less traveled and look for different ways to market something that is already hot, drastically reducing your risk of failure.<br />
<br />
3. Test Everything<br />
<br />
Cost: Marginal, Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Now that you are using direct marketing, test everything. Test your offers, headlines (of your ads), messages, lists, mediums (newspapers, magazines, internet etc.). Most marketing is a few words away from being profitable and you will never know that unless you test.<br />
<br />
4. Use Google Ad-words and the Internet.<br />
<br />
Cost: Marginal (with daily budget), Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Never before in the history of marketing has there ever been a more low-cost, low-risk and accurate way to test your marketing message. You can test different advertisements, different keywords, different web pages and different locations. You can sit in your office in Iceland and test your advertisement in a four-block radius around Trump World Tower in Manhattan.<br />
<br />
5. Change the Way you Speak and Write,<br />
<br />
Cost: Free, Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Words offer the highest leverage possible. One word, "cost" creates a negative emotion in your prospects mind as they think of their hard-earned money leaving their pocket. Change the word to "invest" and they now think that they can earn more money from the money they give you. Look over the words you use in your business (ads, sales, flyers etc.) to see if they may cause negative emotions in your customers<br />
<br />
6. Optimize Your Referral Program<br />
<br />
Cost: Marginal, Upside Potential: Unlimited<br />
<br />
Referral programs are your highest leverage marketing system out there. Take the time to put in an actual program and not wait until your clients think about it. Of course, that all presupposes that you under promise and over deliver...that always gets them telling their neighbors about you.<br />
<br />
7. Up sell and Cross sell<br />
<br />
Cost: Free, Upside Potential: Up to 50% more sales<br />
<br />
Earn 10%-40% more on average with these handy devices. Some people, when they have made the commitment to buy, will buy more when reminded that they can. Do not be pushy about it. Check out godaddy.com, they are relentless with up sells and cross sells. Try to buy a domain and get your way to the end without spending another dime...just try it...<br />
<br />
8. Use Bounce Backs<br />
<br />
Cost: Cost of paper and ink, Upside Potential: Up to 50% more sales<br />
<br />
With every purchase or order, include an offering for another product/service. You have already spent the money on the shipment or transaction. This is another form of low-pressure upsells /cross sells, but costs you only the cost of the paper and ink you used.<br />
<br />
9. Use Sunk Costs More Creatively<br />
<br />
Cost: Free, Upside Potential: Limitless<br />
<br />
Do you have a voicemail system? Why play music, when you can give educational messages (that are interesting) about your products/services? Do you have invoices? Write some text about referrals or specials of the day. Do you have slow times? Hold a tele-seminar or actual seminar to educate and attract more business.<br />
<br />
10. Increase Your Prices<br />
<br />
Cost: Free, Upside Potential: Whatever you set your new price to be<br />
<br />
Last but not least...The simplest method of them all. Increase your prices! Lots of businesses I talk to are afraid to do this and they will not do it. You do not have to increase them 200% (even though I know a case where a retailer did this and they did actually sell out their entire stock), but just do it 2-5% on select items. No one will notice. In addition, that's all profit for you. You are doing a disservice to your own bottom line by not charging what the market will bear. You would be surprised to learn how much people would value something. If they do not like the increase, try adding some educational information tool with it...now you are justified.<br />
<br />
Paul Speziale is a direct marketing consultant / entrepreneur based out of Toronto, Ontario. He has served all industries from manufacturers to retailers, from entrepreneurs to professionals. Besides helping clients, he is working on his own projects. He also volunteers his time for several worthy causes both local and global. You can reach him at http://www.AnelloSolutions.com: Growing Your Business Through Low-Risk, Optimized and Results Based Marketing.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Will 2007 be "The Year of the Authorpreneur" for Internet Book Marketing?</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By V. Michael Santoro<br />
<br />
As an author, you possess the true secret to Internet book marketing success - your writing skills. Why? The biggest hurdles that Internet Marketers face is providing original content that is written to satisfy:<br />
<br />
• The search engines to obtain good positioning<br />
<br />
• Information hungry surfers searching for quality niche content<br />
<br />
• The continuous need to provide quality content to maintain search engine positioning and targeted traffic<br />
<br />
Becoming an Authorpreneur<br />
<br />
An Authorpreneur does not compete using the traditional book-marketing model. Instead, they view their books as products and effectively combine their writing skills with proven Internet Marketing techniques to accomplish better results. This allows them to become an expert within a niche based upon their book's theme.<br />
<br />
If you become an Authorpreneur, you can dominate your niche by doing what you love - writing. By understanding the writing process, you will accomplish what other Webmasters fail to either do or pay ghostwriters to accomplish. It is not a matter of well-written material from an editor's viewpoint. Rather, it is well written from an Internet Marketing perspective. For example, Web pages, sales letters, and articles all require different writing techniques to accomplish different Internet marketing goals:<br />
<br />
• Theme-based Web pages pre-sell products and convince visitors to continue on to the product's sales page<br />
<br />
• Sales pages drive home the product benefits and converts visitors into customers<br />
<br />
• Articles provide links back to your Web pages to obtain good search engine positioning and drive targeted traffic to your Website's landing pages. They can also link directly to a Web page that is pre-selling a product, which is a solution to a problem that you discussed in your article.<br />
<br />
The Importance of Providing Unique Well-Written Content<br />
<br />
Too many Website owners are more concerned about cutting corners and rushing to get their Website online rather than:<br />
<br />
• Ensuring that their site addresses the needs of their visitors<br />
<br />
• Properly designing their Website's navigation<br />
<br />
• Properly writing their Website content to place well in the search engines<br />
<br />
• Developing a linking strategy that improves search engine placement and generates targeted traffic<br />
<br />
• Developing a list of subscribers that grows into long term customers<br />
<br />
By placing well in the search engines, you can increase your chances of making sales and gaining PR exposure by as much as forty-six percent. By knowing how to research your theme-based keywords, and properly optimizing them into your unique and original content, you will achieve what ninety-five percent of authors and Internet Marketers fail to achieve - dominating your niche in the search engines.<br />
<br />
Just imagine your book sales, PR accomplishments, and the supplemental income you can acquire by becoming an expert in a niche based upon your book's theme while incorporating an effective Internet book-marketing program.<br />
<br />
My prediction is that when we look back, 2007 will be remembered as "The Year of the Authorpreneur" for Internet book marketing. Writers without a solid knowledge of Internet Marketing techniques will not survive online. Internet Marketers without effective writing skills will either fail or have to continue to invest in ghostwriters to survive. By becoming an Authorpreneur, which blends both skill sets, you will be part of the next generation of successful Internet marketers with the added benefit of possessing publishing credentials.<br />
<br />
V. Michael Santoro is a published author and successful Authorpreneur. For a free training course on how to become an Authorpreneur, visit his Website at http://www.proauthors.com and sign up for his e-zine. Additionally, you will receive a powerful PDF creation program as a special bonus.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Creating Residual Income with Internet Marketing</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Duane Norland<br />
<br />
Have you always dreamed of sitting at home, doing nothing, and raking in the money? If you think you can daily spend the time on the golf course, instead of sitting behind a desk, you need to check out http://www.getintocash.com/recommends/pif4p and see what you can do about turning your dream into a reality.<br />
<br />
The truth is that very few programs out there are designed to make you rich overnight.<br />
<br />
They require you to spend a couple of months (a few hours a day) doing the legwork to set up your business. You need to get a web page, get it hosted on the internet, advertise, set up a leads campaign complete with an autoresponder; that stores email addresses of you clients and periodically sends follow-up emails to close the deal, and an online banking system to collect the money and pay you.<br />
<br />
I know this may sound a little overwhelming, but if you get involved with the right program, all of your initial work will continue to generate income for you for life.<br />
<br />
Some systems help set you up very easily and point you in the right direction for generating leads and sending emails. This makes it very easy for the rookie and levels the playing field by allowing them to make the same income the pros do. Of course, with experience comes expertise and niches, which the rookie may not discover or understand, but the potential exists for all.<br />
<br />
I personally discovered two programs, which compliment each other perfectly. Completely automated, the first generates residual income. Once it is set up, it perpetuates itself automatically. The best part is that it is FREE to join. You can imagine, that since it is free, you cannot expect to become a millionaire overnight (otherwise, you would pay excessively to join). However, when combined with the hard-hitting tactics for generating traffic of the second system, you will generate a healthy income in very little time. I personally use these two systems and only spend about 15 minutes a day at my computer. The rest of the day is mine to do with as I please.<br />
<br />
You too can set up a healthy, residual, long-term income. Just visit these two sites:<br />
<br />
http://www.getintocash.com/recommends/pif4p<br />
http://www.getintocash.com/recommends/butterfly<br />
<br />
Duane Norland is Founder of http://getintocash.com<br />
<br />
Duane has been operating on the Internet for 4 years and has built up eight flourishing businesses and growing.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>I Love Traffic Jams</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Paul Tobey<br />
<br />
Most web marketers would agree that the number one and most fundamental aspect of any successful websites are; "The more traffic, the better!" In keeping with that strategy, please let me share a few thoughts on how to actually accomplish this.<br />
<br />
If you own a car, you can always count on being stuck in traffic. There are those who experience this on a daily basis; and for the rest of us who do not drive to work, hopefully, only occasionally.<br />
<br />
Why is this a huge source of frustration and stress for most people?  Drivers hate the very thought of being stuck in one place when they want to be in another place. Look at the people around you the next time you are in a traffic jam. Is everyone smiling and having a good time? Probably not...<br />
<br />
How many of you want to know how to alleviate the upset and the anxiety associated with being stuck in traffic? Here is the thing, traffic jams are not going to disappear anytime soon! As long as our society relies on cars and trucks to get around, there will always be traffic! However, even though it sounds crazy, I personally have learned to love traffic jams. Here is why....<br />
<br />
I have always maintained there are only two things you can do in any stressful situation; you either accept it or you can remove yourself from the situation. Beating yourself up or blaming someone else for the traffic jam only makes it worse. That is what most people do not understand. The traffic jam is not the problem; it is your resistance to it. It is that resistance causing the stress. The amount of energy you put into resisting your situation causes the stress, not the situation itself. <br />
<br />
In the case of traffic however, it is obvious that you cannot remove yourself from it if you are already in it. So, the only other thing you can do is accept it, right? Complete 100% of acceptance of the situation is the only way to alleviate 100% of the stress. Now, I can hear your brain malfunctioning right about now and your saying to yourself, "how can I possibly learn to accept traffic?" Ah ha! Therein lays the secret to getting what you really want. Because that is, what life is about, getting what you really want instead of what you do not want, right?<br />
<br />
What you really want is more success. Success means various things to many different people. It is still something that most people strive for daily, to achieve big things. <br />
<br />
Success? In a traffic jam? You are saying to yourself, "now, I'm really confused!" You see, there is one place where a traffic jam is a beautiful thing...the Internet! That is what we call in the internet marketing business the key to any successful website, "lots and lots of traffic." The more traffic jams we can create on our websites, the better!<br />
<br />
If you want more business success, start getting more traffic to your website. There are many things to consider when designing your site to make this happen; but without traffic, a website is useless.<br />
<br />
Therefore, know what you truly want - more success. Now you know what to do to get it - generate more traffic to your website. However, the most important part of this 3-part formula is, knowing HOW to do it! Without knowing how to do something, you will never get the success you most certainly deserve. Business is about customers - the more customers you have, the more success you will have. Knowing how to get more customers to your website to create a traffic jam is a science and is definitely a learned skill.<br />
<br />
Let's look at the many resources offered to you to generate the traffic you need to run a successful website; search engines, affiliate programs, content submissions, email campaigns, joint venture partners, link exchanges, blogs, pay-per-click advertising, and a whole host of other resources too numerous to mention here. If some of these things sound unfamiliar to you, my highest recommendation is to find out what they are and what you need to do to make them work. For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on one thing; search engines. Why just search engines? Statistics have shown that 70% of your website traffic will be driven through search engines like, Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. Plus, it is free!<br />
<br />
How do you make search engines work for you?<br />
<br />
First, optimize your website to get a high search engine ranking. Select relevant targeted keyword phrases. Place those keywords strategically on your web pages. How do you know what keyword phrases to use? That is where many people make huge mistakes. They actually optimize their sites for keyword phrases that nobody is actually searching. HINT! First, find out what people are searching for; then build your web pages around those words. There are tools available to help you chose what search terms are relevant, such as; Google's free service called Overture, and WordTracker, which is a paid service.<br />
<br />
After choosing your keywords, it is time to place them on your site. We call this keyword density. My suggestion, place one or two keyword phrases on each page in your; Page Title, Meta Description Tags, Meta Keyword Tags and a few times in the text of your webpage, for optimal results. This alone will significantly increase the ranking of your site for engines like Google and Yahoo. These engines think like people. They look for what is important on your website and how relevant your site is to what key phrases you are optimizing. Do not optimize your site for "free movie downloads" if you are selling cosmetics. Bad idea! You can actually be penalized by search engines for trying to trick them into sending you traffic.<br />
<br />
Incoming links are the most significant factor in increasing your search engine optimization. Are you wondering how important this is? That is the million dollar, drop the gates, and release the hounds, key to the universe! Why? If you optimize your site with relevant keywords, which says, are you any good at what you do? Who has to say your products and services are any good? That is the way engines like Google think. They want to know from others if you do what you say, and if you are any good at doing it. How do they do this? By finding links to your website, on other sites, that promote what you are saying on your site. The more links into your website promoting what it is you do; the better!<br />
<br />
Are you ready for the kicker? You mean there is more? Yep, there is more! If the last paragraph was a million dollar technique, this is definitely a two million dollar technique. Make sure that the links on other websites, which lead to your website, use your keyword phrases. Therefore, your links in from outside should look like this... Piano Music by Paul Tobey - where the link underneath "piano music" is the url of your site ie: http://www.paultobey.com. An engine like Google searches for the keywords first and then follows the link to see if it is relevant. If it is relevant, which in the case of the preceding example it is, then the ranking for the keyword search "piano music" will go up every time Google or another search engine, finds one of these links.<br />
<br />
So, the next time you are sitting in traffic and you are agitated, stressed, and filled with anxiety, think of all the traffic your website will be generating while you are stuck in the car. Take a look at all the angry people around you, give a big smile, and say aloud to yourself, "I Love Traffic Jams."<br />
<br />
Paul Tobey:<br />
<br />
In addition to writing a number of articles about web design and search engine optimization the author owns a successful web design company in Toronto, Canada.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Seven Top Ways to Get More Traffic Now</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Laurie Raphael<br />
<br />
To succeed as a marketer, you must direct meaningful traffic to your website.<br />
<br />
No matter how well designed or interesting your site is, it is a waste of time if no one sees it.<br />
<br />
In the initial stages of your business, getting traffic is not easy with the steep competition of thousands of web sites all trying to get their message out there. There is hope, though, according to successful marketers. The following seven methods, applied consistently, can mean a great increase in the quality and quantity of traffic to a site:<br />
<br />
1.) Utilize Search Engines<br />
<br />
Use search engines to your advantage. You need to have your web site appear near the top of the results, ahead of other websites offering similar content to gain the maximum benefit from a search engine. How is this accomplished? See two.<br />
<br />
2.) Popularity Linking<br />
<br />
Your site must already be attracting a considerable amount of traffic to achieve high search engine results. One method for accomplishing this is by connecting to other relevant sites via links. These "popularity links" help drive traffic, and if targeted to the correct search queries, they can boost your search engine ranking.<br />
<br />
Link popularity always starts with finding web sites that are similar but do not compete with your own. You would contact the website owner and request a link to your site. At the same time, you would offer a reciprocal link, which would advertise their website on one of your pages.<br />
<br />
3.) Writing Articles<br />
<br />
Writing your own rich content articles on topics targeted to your audience helps promote your web site by increasing the number of popularity links coming to your site (see 2) as well as attracting interested readers. Place your articles on other sites, in ezines, or even in newsletters. Always be sure to ad a source box with a link going back to your site.<br />
<br />
4.) Joint Venture Marketing<br />
<br />
Joint venture marketing, a marketing relationship in which two individuals cooperate to help promote each other, is also an effective way to promote a product or service. Joint venture agreements can also include swapping ads and exchanging links. Both parties benefit as they reach a wider customer base quickly.<br />
<br />
5.) Joining Affiliate Programs<br />
<br />
By joining an affiliate program as a merchant, you can get others to market your site. You will need your own product to start your own program, but accomplish this with private label content or product development ventures. Even a small-scale affiliate program can help direct significant traffic to your site.<br />
<br />
6.) Creating a List of Subscribers<br />
<br />
A subscriber list is a valuable asset for any marketer. Using an autoresponder or a personalized newsletter to promote your site will help you to build a repeat visitor base, providing direct marketing opportunities for now and in the future.<br />
<br />
7.) Understand Your Market<br />
<br />
Different niches need promoted in different ways. Use the techniques described up until this point to reach people who will be interested. You need to figure out who your target market is and how will you treat them once they get to your site? This will affect everything on your site including your ad copy and even the colors you use.<br />
<br />
Use as many strategies as possible to generate targeted traffic. Relying on search engines is obviously important but there are numerous other ways to generate traffic. Combining these methods will maximize the traffic you get.<br />
<br />
Laurie Raphael operates a website geared toward boosting your marketing results using various means of advertising and marketing strategies. For her private list of recommended affiliate marketing "secret weapons," visit her site at http://theadprocess.com.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Creative and Profitable Ways to Use Autoresponders</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By John Terry<br />
<br />
An interested visitor, strolling through your site finally comes to just what she is looking for and is about to make a purchase. It is a sunny afternoon, and her cat, which happens to be sitting on the moss under the visitor's large fifty-year-old snow-rose bonsai tree, suddenly jumps down, and the priceless tree, topples over.<br />
<br />
In the blink of an eye, your visitor exits your site, and your sale is dust - unless you have had the foresight to utilize an autoresponder that has captured her email address. If you have installed an autoresponder, you can then follow-up with her, and in all probability, make the sale when the poor woman has finished repotting her precious bonsai.<br />
<br />
Autoresponders are remarkable, versatile programs that do so much more than just automatically answer your email.<br />
<br />
Here are a few ideas that will help you to creatively, and productively use your autoresponder to transform the casual visitor into a profitable customer. Use your autoresponder to:<br />
<br />
1. Publish a newsletter. Certain quality autoresponders will manage subscriptions and follow-up with interested prospects. Your newsletter can keep your visitors informed about your services or products, while building your reputation as a credible expert in your particular business.<br />
<br />
2. Publish a newsletter only for your affiliates. Inform them of current sales you are running and of promotional material that your affiliates can use themselves to increase their commissions. Include tips, advice, and techniques that your affiliates can use to successfully go out and promote your business.<br />
<br />
3. Write reviews. Cover books, software, music, e-books, movies, etc., and put each review in an autoresponder.<br />
<br />
Review your affiliate programs, using a link to your affiliate's page in your autoresponder.<br />
<br />
4. Distribute your articles. Writing and distributing targeted articles is a powerful tool to build your business credibility, bring traffic to your site, and increase your sales potential. If your articles contain valuable information, many editors will print a resource box for you. A resource box contains your bio and a brief description of your service or product. It can also contain your autoresponder address. Let us say you have written fifty articles. Put them on separate autoresponder accounts and create a master list that contains the titles of each article, the autoresponder address, and a brief abstract. Then promote your master list. Additionally, include your publishing guidelines so your affiliates can add their articles to your list, increasing the number of writers who you represent in your article list.<br />
<br />
5. Create mailing lists. Inform subscribers to your articles when you have written new ones that they may want to publish in their own newsletter or website.<br />
<br />
6. Automate your sales process. Use an ad to insure repeated exposure of your message, which effectively proves to increase sales. In your ad, put your autoresponder address where you can expose a visitor to numerous marketing materials. This multiplies the chances of converting visitors into customers. For example, if you are selling a particular product, put testimonials about how spectacular it is on your autoresponder, as it adds a detailed, enticing description of your product.<br />
<br />
7. Distribute advertising. Let us say you sell advertising on your website or in your newsletter or e-zine. Set your autoresponder to send the information about rates and how to place an ad automatically to all prospects' email addresses. Then have your autoresponder follow-up. It can also send notification of any special deals you are currently offering.<br />
<br />
8. Distribute an email course. Each day, have your autoresponder send out another lesson. Just be sure that each lesson has quality content - not a sales pitch. Your content will do the selling for you, and will do it much more effectively. You can include tips centered on a different topic for each lesson, illustrating how your product will benefit the reader. Include the tangible benefits the visitor will reap by purchasing your product.<br />
<br />
Make sure to include a paragraph or two at the end of each lesson enticing your prospect to consider making a purchase.<br />
<br />
9. After a visitor has completed your course, automate a reminder about your service or product. This will increase the possibility of sales from visitors who have taken your course but are dragging their feet about actually making a purchase. You can also use these reminders to promote new products or services, and the products and services of your affiliate programs.<br />
<br />
10. Distribute free reports. This gives your visitor an idea of the type of information you can provide and the quality of your product or service. Make sure these reports are not sales letters or you will more than likely lose a potential customer than gain a sale.<br />
<br />
11. Create trivia quizzes on your site and place the answers in an autoresponder. Your visitor will then be motivated to request your autoresponder, and you will have a record of the visitors' email addresses who took your quiz. Alternatively, create a contest and have any visitors that enter send their responses to your autoresponder. Your autoresponder can be set-up to send them a confirmation of their entry.<br />
<br />
12. Offer a trial version of your product. Give your prospects a sample of your ebook, course, software, membership, etc. People who are exposed to a little taste often end up wanting the whole pie. You can also capture their email addresses when you offer them a free trial from your website. Set up your autoresponder to give instructions on how to obtain their free trial, and then make sure to follow-up to try to close the sale.<br />
<br />
13. Link to hidden pages on your autoresponder. For example, a hidden page could be your affiliate page that contains graphics, promotional articles, and text links that interested affiliates can use. Inform visitors that they may have free access to your affiliate page by simply requesting your autoresponder. You will then gather a list of visitors who may be interested in becoming your affiliates.<br />
<br />
14. Use an autoresponder on your order page. Post a request form to notify visitors of special offers or discounts in the future. This creates a very effective mailing list that contains the names of people who are already your customers.<br />
<br />
15. Put your links page on your autoresponder. It should contain up to fifty links that would be of particular interest to your visitors.<br />
<br />
Now that you have proof that autoresponders can be used creatively, see if you can come up with some brilliant ideas of your own using what I consider to be the best startup autoresponder in the business: http://goto-pro.com/go/to.pl?l=tw&cu=1&u=335&f=1<br />
<br />
John Terry is a webmaster and networker.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Direct Mail - the Deadly Sin of Not Testing</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Robert Wilkinson<br />
<br />
If there were one thing to make direct mail a reliable method to drum up new business, it would have to be the ability to test different versions of a pack to achieve a better return on investment. Having processed many mailings over the years, I can attest that clients rarely take full advantage of this feature. In fact, more often than not, clients do not test at all.<br />
<br />
Not testing is commercial suicide! In today's competitive climate, if anything can be done to reduce the cost to acquire a customer, then it must be done. It is a no brainer. Research shows that in times of depression, those who continue to advertise are those that do well. It also shows those who continue to advertise also make the efforts to stretch their budget even further.<br />
<br />
You decrease your direct mail costs by applying a little commonsense and by testing which will produce the best response. We will look at the example of a direct mail pack that comprises five parts in all.<br />
<br />
The parts of the pack are as follows:<br />
<br />
1) Envelope<br />
2) Personalized Letter<br />
3) Brochure<br />
4) Leaflet/Order form<br />
5) Business Reply Envelope<br />
<br />
Looking at this, you would think that this is it, but we have forgotten the most important part of all:<br />
<br />
6) The Data<br />
<br />
Now there is enough here to get your message out.<br />
<br />
Experience shows the most important part of the mailing is the data.  We must test this part. A badly produced but well targeted letter will almost certainly produce a better return than a well-written badly targeted letter.<br />
<br />
You may have a particular target audience already decided, for example, lawyers. You will be able to get lists of lawyers from more than one source to be tested. Equally, you will have the option of mailing to a named individual, or to a job title, so you can test that way, also. So far, that is at least four permutations, provided you use two data suppliers. It would be six if you used three suppliers. If you had not narrowed your field to one sector, then the choice of tests to run could be massively increased, but it is not practical to take it to the extreme.<br />
<br />
Targeting is everything! You must get that right, and you can only find that out if you test.<br />
<br />
Looking at the envelope, you have a huge number of choices available, also. You can send plain with a stamp, or printed with a message. You could make the material from an unusual paper, print in full color, or use different sizes. You could print different designs, or use different taglines and the like.<br />
<br />
Depending on how your envelope is made, you may be able to run multiple designs for a minimal charge. The nature of some jobs is they are printed two or three on a sheet, so you will be able to produce equal quantities of more than one design. Even if it is not free, chances are it will not be that expensive for a plate change.<br />
<br />
For the letterhead, you can change the material. Studies by paper merchants have shown a 20% increase in response just by changing to a textured paper. The copy itself on the letter can be changed, and offers can be changed. The number of options to test here is almost limitless.<br />
<br />
Moving on to the leaflet, the same applies here as indicated for the letterhead. Copy, material, imagery; they are all fair game.<br />
<br />
Finally, yet importantly, we move on to the BRE (business reply envelope). The choices here are limited. White or manila envelopes, perhaps, maybe even a coloured BRE. If it is not going to cost a lot, why not try it.<br />
<br />
Using these methods over time, you can increase the effectiveness of your mailings. Always test, even when you think you have the perfect pack, continue to run a test campaign against it, even if the difference between the two is really quite small. If you continue to do this, your costs to acquire a customer should decrease and diminish. <br />
Overall, the point is that there is an almost infinitely large and almost limitless opportunity for testing. Maybe, it is this huge scope for testing that puts people off, but I do not think it is. I think it is just a lack of awareness of what you can do. You do not need to complicate things; you can just run two packs with one difference between them and see how it goes.<br />
<br />
Whatever you do though, do not commit commercial suicide and fail to test.<br />
<br />
Robert Wilkinson is the owner of http://www.arhiann.com, a print, design, and direct mail business specializing in direct mail and envelope production for small and medium sized businesses.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>How To Get Higher Converting MLM Leads For Less</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Don Luttrull<br />
<br />
If you are involved in an mlm or network marketing business, you have tried to find the best ways, online as well as offline, to get qualified people to your website or to the company’s website. There are many different ways to find qualified people who are actually looking to start a home based business.<br />
<br />
You need to realize that most people who are looking for a home based business are not aware of what they are looking for and are simply gathering information. These types of people are the non-targeted leads you find being sold by countless mlm lead companies online.<br />
<br />
These types of mlm leads have a terrible conversion rate. This puts your excited mood into one that causes you to start second-guessing yourself and the opportunity you are marketing.  Quality mlm leads from an actual mlm leads company with proven results is what you need to build a successful mlm business, and to have the right mindset.<br />
<br />
If you were to compare mlm lead companies, odds are you would start with your sponsor or up-line in the business you are currently marketing. This method is not effective to use. The result is your upline is simply trying to get a commission or a bonus off you by sending them to one of the low converting mlm lead companies.<br />
<br />
You may take the above statement as being rude or labeling all sponsors, but in all honesty, most people in mlm and network marketing companies are following the same pack of people barely making any real income. You need to set yourself apart from the pack and become a leader in your company.<br />
<br />
If a company sponsor is trying to teach you the correct methods to building your business but have not seen any real success himself or herself, then you need to find a new method in which to build your business. Mlm is mainly duplication of a proven method. If your sponsor is not seeing the large monthly income, then I personally would not try to duplicate their methods.<br />
<br />
With all the many different ways to get mlm leads, which are done with pay per click accounts and even door-to-door methods, one truly proven method has the highest conversion ratio as long as it is done correctly.<br />
<br />
You need to find an mlm lead company that has proven results and offers you a residual income that will pay for your leads as your downline signs up under you, for their leads also. There are a small handful of mlm lead companies worth comparing and sometimes they can be hard to sift through. Mlm lead companies are selling leads that have sold 1,000 times and will not convert for nothing.<br />
<br />
If you are looking to build a solid mlm business, you should research and compare mlm lead companies. You need to look for a company that allows you to buy at minimum, 72-hour fresh leads. Along with being extremely fresh, you also need to find an mlm lead company that offers a monthly residual income plan. Having a matrix payout plan attached to a solid mlm lead company can end up paying out more then your mlm company is paying you.<br />
<br />
Remember when researching and checking the many mlm lead companies out there, you will usually get what you pay for. Any company offering you 1,000 fresh leads a day for $20 is nothing but a fraud style company and will end up giving you a very bad name in the mlm community. Find a company that is successful and has mlm leads that are actually converting into real mlm sign ups and sales.<br />
<br />
Don Luttrull runs a MLM lead comparison site. MLM and Network Marketers vote on which mlm leads company has the best conversion ratios and those companies are then ranked. To see who they have voted for go here http://www.comparemlmleads.com.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<title>Modeling Success</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Steve Renner<br />
<br />
A fast way to become successful is to Model Success. Find the person who you would like to be like and copy them. This is a secret to Internet Marketing Excellence.<br />
<br />
I am on many mailing lists, and like to keep track of what is happening in the Internet Marketing scene. This keeps me in tune with what is going on.<br />
<br />
The older, more experienced Marketers are teaching new people the business with their special Coaching and Mentoring Programs.<br />
<br />
As part of their Coaching service, they will help these new marketers break into the business, by promoting them to their list. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is actually a great thing. This is how most of the great marketers get started.<br />
<br />
Problem is, it seems more and more people who graduate from these Coaching Programs are getting into the business. They want to start giving their Marketing Advice.<br />
<br />
One thing I can tell you is this, in the Internet Marketing world there is an incredible amount of different information floating around. It can be overwhelming. This is called Information Overload, and it happens to everyone.<br />
<br />
Another problem is you do not always know if the information you are getting is reliable or not. Is this something someone has learned from someone else? Are they now passing themselves off as an expert? Is this coming from someone that has really done it?<br />
<br />
It is essential you know the person from whom you are receiving the information.<br />
<br />
A good marketer is always looking to learn new things, and looking to learn from someone. If you find just one golden nugget of information, it can make you a fortune in your business.<br />
<br />
That's why it is critical that when you are looking to learn from someone, look for a person who is out there actively Marketing, someone who is actually in the trenches doing it on a daily basis.<br />
<br />
If they are just learning as you are, then this is not the source example to follow.<br />
<br />
Look for someone who has been in the business for a while and has a good track record of success.<br />
<br />
This person can become your Mentor. When you find someone that you look up to and want to be like, then just look at what they are doing and copy them.<br />
<br />
This is the easiest way to be successful in your business, Model Success! If it is working for them, Business Management Articles, then it can work for you too.<br />
<br />
This is a Secret to Internet Marketing Excellence!<br />
<br />
Steve Renner has been marketing online since 1998. He is the Director of Training and Marketing for The Affiliate Community, an Online Training and Resource Site for Affiliate Marketers of all Levels.He is a pioneer in the development of Hybrid Marketing and is an Expert in Internet Marketing and Marketing Affiliate. http://www.affiliatecommunity.netGet over $1,000 in Training and Resources FREE!<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<title>Tips for Affiliate Marketing Newbie's - Is Pay Per Click a Viable Option?</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Carsten Cumbrowski<br />
<br />
Why you should look into Pay Per Click Marketing if you are an Affiliate Marketing Newbie. Tips and tricks for beginners and why you should look beyond PPC to be successful in the long term.<br />
<br />
If you are a newbie to Affiliate Marketing, I do recommend to look into Pay-Per-Click Advertising at the beginning, because it is still one of the more easy ways (or less difficult would probably be more true) to get started in this industry AND get fast results. Results referring to earning commission. No more and no less.<br />
<br />
Using the PPC services of the big three US Search Engines, Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, Microsoft AdCenter, or services of "second tier" Search Engines like Miva, Kanoodle, Ask.com, or Looksmart is still not as complicated as most people believe. It will get harder as time progresses though. Nobody would argue this fact. Also bid prices will most likely continue to rise and not get back to what they were just a few years ago.<br />
<br />
The "golden age" of PPC marketing might be over, but it is still much easier to earn some commissions with it compared to most other, older and more mature marketing strategies.<br />
<br />
Take Search Engine Optimization for example. If you start a new site today, chances are you will not see very much, if any results for 3 to 6 months, assuming that you already know SEO, what is probably unlikely. "Trial and Error" is a concept that translates to years of trying and failing in SEO compared to hours, days or weeks for trying something new in Pay-Per-Click marketing.<br />
<br />
It will not work without spending and loosing some money up-front, while you learn to get the basics straight. Set low spending limits for new test campaigns, if the feature is available. Wait a few days, spending only a little bit of money, and watch how it converts. If you make money, which is simple to find out, by subtracting the number of click, multiplied by the average cost per click, (= spending for the PPC Service) from the earned commissions. If the dollar amount is a positive amount, you made profit.<br />
<br />
Do not go over board because of it, though. You can increase spending a bit, but I do not recommend going full force without a spending limit and buy every click you can get at this point. Wait at least until you have posted your first commission check successfully to your bank account. I would wait even two commission checks with a bit of increase in spending and hopefully commission each payment cycle.<br />
<br />
Also loosing money on the first few campaigns should not discourage you and make you stop. See breaking even as a success and progress. It is not very likely, nor impossible, to make profits right from the start. If you do, good for you, If you don't, try to find out why. Once you did use the services, you will at least know how the process works and understand a lot more of discussions at forums, related articles, and tips from professionals. You will not, if you do not do anything and give up before you even started.<br />
<br />
You should not just stop at PPC though and only rely on paid traffic to your site; especially, if you rely completely on direct or redirected traffic to the merchant where you are merely a proxy in the conversion process without the customer being aware of your existence at all. If you have a site or "Landing Page" the customer sees first, you will get the chance to do something with visitors that do not convert for the specific offer you are promoting via PPC Ad.<br />
<br />
The visitor you paid for is on your site and not the merchants and you might be able to get him interested in something else. Merchants do that too and so can you. Be careful though. Don't create a conflict which could result in a "Lower Conversion Rate" of your "Landing Page" for the original offer. This "something else" should be a "Secondary Conversion Goal" for your Ad and landing page; not just for non-converting traffic, but also as "secondary goal" for the traffic that you actually convert for your "Primary Goal".<br />
<br />
May be a similar offer to the one he showed obvious interest in; remember, he clicked the link from your paid Ad; but then decided not to follow through with it for whatever reason. Similar does not mean the same thing, but from another brand or merchant, but similar in topic. Don't offer another TV Set when you promote a TV Set. Offer a TV Program Guide or Magazine instead for example.<br />
<br />
This goes beyond the topic of this article, but I wanted to provide you with some "Keywords" and "Terms" for further research. You should look into all the other opportunities and possibilities available for promotion of products and services as well, but with long-term goals in mind. Paid Search can help you financially while you get something more substantial going.<br />
<br />
Paid search will only work long term if you really dig deep into this type of marketing and become an expert yourself. This requires many technical Health Fitness Articles, mathematical and analytical skills, and most people do not have them.<br />
<br />
Carsten Cumbrowski is doing Affiliate Marketing since 2001and Search Marketing since 2003. He also operates the portal Cumbrowski.com, which provides free resources to paid search (http://www.cumbrowski.com/CarstenC/searchenginemarketing.asp), landing page optimization, keyword research (http://www.cumbrowski.com/CarstenC/seosem_keyword_research.asp) and much more that are vital to success for internet marketers.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<title>Brand Building 101: Does Your Business Card Build Your Brand?</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Krishna De<br />
<br />
Are you losing credibility and damaging the brand of your business through lack of attention to one of your critical marketing tools in your business, your business card? Discover how your business card can enhance your brand and ensure that you stand out from your competition.<br />
<br />
When we are at a networking event or meeting a client, exchanging business cards occurs.<br />
<br />
Very often, without realizing it, we are assessing our colleague by their business card, and asking ourselves:<br />
<br />
- Is the business card professionally designed?<br />
- Is the business card crumpled at the edges?<br />
- How does the weight of the business card feel - substantive or flimsy?<br />
- Does it look like the business card was made on their PC - or worse, does it have a message at the bottom of the card to say where you, too, can access free cards?<br />
<br />
I have collected thousands of business cards over my time in business. I am sub-consciously assessing the professional status of them and their business when I receive their business card.<br />
<br />
We review someone's card at least 3 times:<br />
<br />
1. Once on receiving it<br />
2. A second time when we put it in our pocket, folio or bag as we leave the meeting<br />
3. A third time as we make a decision to keep it, transfers the information into our data bank, or bin it!<br />
<br />
Our business card is a critical part of our marketing collateral. If you cannot afford to put in place other marketing materials, short changing the investment in developing a professional business card is definitely not something we should do, if we are looking to develop a professional brand.<br />
<br />
When meeting someone in person, alongside how you present yourself in person, your business card can enhance or devalue the strength of your brand, and it reveals how others perceive you.<br />
<br />
Here are four tips to enhance your brand through your business card:<br />
<br />
1. Ensure that you work with a professional designer to develop your business card. It is not whether you like the design; it is about whether it will represent your business effectively and professionally to your target audience.<br />
<br />
2. Ideally, have your business card printed on 400g card and by a traditional lithographic printer. Yes, it is more expensive than digital printing, but the quality is worth investing in and a litho print gives far greater definition to your corporate identity and the color of your brand.<br />
<br />
3. Matt laminates your card on the reverse for extra stability and style. Do not laminate both sides as people will not be able to write on your card - we often note down things to remember about the person we met on their card.<br />
<br />
4. Use the valuable real estate on the back of your card to provide a call to action, for example, how to access your white paper or special report on your web site.<br />
<br />
Take action:<br />
<br />
Over the next 30 days, take the opportunity to review the business cards of your contacts and assess their card against yours.<br />
<br />
1. What can you learn from other people’s business cards?<br />
<br />
2. How could you take those learning’s and further enhance your business card?<br />
<br />
Your goal is to ensure that your business card is a positive reflection of both you and your company, and it represents a strong brand.<br />
<br />
Invest in your business card, distribute it widely and you will be sure of expanding your professional success.<br />
<br />
Krishna De invites you to join her in conversation with experts from around the globe to discover how to build your brand and grow your professional services firm at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com/. You will also receive access to Biz Growth Express a weekly newsletter bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to grow your professional services practice. Register today at http://www.krishnade.com/.<br />
<br />
©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2006. All rights reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article providing the article is printed in its entirety; you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in anyway and include the copyright statement.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>How to Market with Articles</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Dee Cohen<br />
<br />
Writing articles are effective ways to get one-way links to your site, as well as, to have people learn more about your website or service. There are ways to do this that can make you more successful versus having your articles be overlooked and not considered.<br />
<br />
Shane Pearce has written the ‘Lazy Man's Guide to Article Writing’, which outlines some helpful tips. I was impressed with his tip that when you submit your article to an ezine publisher or a webmaster, you can offer that he uses his own affiliate link in place of your own. For instance, if you have written an article on motivation and have a link to a Clickbank ebook on motivation and goals, you can offer the publisher that he uses his own affiliate id instead of yours. What this means is that the ezine or website publisher will be getting a free article already written with a link that may give him some monetary income. You would still have your own information in your resource box at the end, so people can click to your website, as well. Think about what the website publisher you write to will get out of the exchange and find a way to make his or her life easier.<br />
<br />
Other tips he gives are to read ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ to find out what people want to know about in terms of popular topics. Shane discusses how to make a viral ebook based on a FAQ niche that can be passed around. If there are frequently asked questions on a topic, it is a sign that the topic has an interest, as well as, there may be an interest in some guide or tutorial.<br />
<br />
In addition, I like the sample autoresponder examples he uses with different ideas for a signature file at the end of one's article. I think he is very good at showing how to integrate a couple of affiliate links without being pushy. He recommends sending people to opt-in to a mailing list as part of your signature file.<br />
<br />
Another section I found useful discusses how to create checklists and use them both for your website and in articles that lead back to your website. People like checklists. Shane discusses how to use these. They also help break through writer's block or paralysis because you can have a list of steps.<br />
<br />
There are ideas given about utilizing both 2-tier affiliate programs and residual income programs that will help you keep you earning as your articles circulate around the net. Shane gives some interesting suggestions on types of sites that work for this.<br />
<br />
<br />
I also like that Shane gives an example of a flop he did of an unsuccessful attempt at marketing. He analyzes it and compares it to something someone else wrote he feels was better expressed. It is a very interesting study covering various ways to get your articles noticed and published. I publish articles regularly but learned some valuable tips from this ebook.<br />
<br />
Dee Cohen is an author and publisher at http://www.socialsitesmarketing.com/article-writing.html; you can visit to learn effective ways to gain traffic by writing free articles.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Direct Mail - Getting You Envelope Opened</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Robert Wilkinson<br />
<br />
If you use direct mail, it is in your best interest to get as much of it opened and read as possible. You may have spent a small fortune on the copywriting and the expensively printed brochure, but if you do not ensure that as many packs are opened and read as possible, then both copy and brochure are wasted.<br />
<br />
There are two main schools of thought on how to avoid being binned. The first is to use disguise, and the second is to use persuasion.<br />
<br />
Using disguise is mainly a business-to-business approach, but it works for business to consumer mailings also. Businesses to business promotional mailings are marked out so they do not appear to have been handled individually. This can be indicated by an envelope pre-printed with a postage mark, and the use of a window or address labels to show an address.<br />
<br />
Try one or more of the following to give the envelope a more individual look.<br />
<br />
Use stamps. They have to have been put on by hand, so it must be individual. There is no more obvious an indicator than a pre-printed stamp impression. When using a preprinted impression in conjunction with a window envelope it practically screams, advertising so do not do it.<br />
<br />
Hand write the address on the envelope. This is probably only viable for higher value items and certainly get more attention this way. It does not have to be copperplate; it just needs to look as though it has been handled individually.<br />
<br />
Use an unusual material for the envelope, say vellum or a textured paper. In tests conducted by a paper merchant, this alone increased responses significantly. The additional revenue generated by the mailing more than compensated for the additional cost for the special paper.<br />
<br />
Again, do anything to make your mailing appear more individual and personal to the recipient. Probably the most important element is the use of stamps. This on its own can be enough to get you under the recipient's radar.<br />
<br />
Secondly, use persuasive tactics. This is completely the opposite from disguise and is used mainly for business to consumer, but again it works for business to business too. In this instance, we mark it out specifically as commercial by using advertising images, copy, and headlines on the outside of the envelope itself. In this instance, it does not matter if you use a printed postal impression.<br />
<br />
Unlike the previous method, which uses curiosity to get your envelope opened, we need to give the recipient a good reason to open the envelope. This can take a variety of forms, but as a couple of examples you can state a benefit, "Increase sales by 15%", or alternatively provide an incentive, "Reply by the end of the month and get 2 for the price of 1".<br />
<br />
Be very clear and very specific about what the contents are going to achieve and remember you are only trying to get the envelope opened and read. Avoid anything vague. Do not expect to appeal to everyone using this method. You do not have that much room on the envelope and you cannot be all things to all people.<br />
<br />
I hope you will achieve a strong enough response in a small percentage of recipients that they will open, and read the contents. Your persuasive copy will follow logically on from the envelope copy, and keep your prospect interested.<br />
<br />
There is a lot of advice against this in business-to-business direct mail, and there is probably an element of truth in this. If you are mailing to an executive whose mail is screened then its likely good advice. However, there are plenty of owner/managers out there that still open their own mail, if the offer or benefit is clear enough, and of interest to open. You may well consign your mailing piece to the bin for the 99.5% of your prospects by doing this, but it was not about them, was it?<br />
<br />
In summary, it is simple. Do not be run of the mill. Step away from the norm and make sure your envelope is overtly commercial with a clear benefit, or incentive, or alternatively make it look personal. If you do this, you are halfway to getting it read and that is more than half the battle.<br />
<br />
Robert Wilkinson is the owner of http://www.arhiann.com a direct mail production company specializing in mailings for small and medium sized business.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Network vs. Affiliate Marketing</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Andreas Sundstrom<br />
<br />
Running a traditional brick and mortar business with an online presence, is one very good way to make a part of your living online. However, for the purposes of this article, we are going to assume that you do not have your own business. Therefore, I am going to discuss two of the biggest online moneymakers right now: online business opportunities and affiliate marketing.<br />
<br />
Network marketing<br />
<br />
The typical online business opportunity built around a network-marketing concept, inheriting the basic qualities of the offline business model that has been available for many decades. The basic idea is that you recruit two or more people, who in their turn recruit two, and in this way your efforts, (at least in theory), are greatly leveraged.<br />
<br />
The main difference doing this online is that, utilizing the power of the Internet, you as a network marketer can literally reach people all over the planet.<br />
<br />
The problem with the network marketing, or "mlm", concept is it sounds so good on paper - excessively good. Most people who join with a company of this type tend to get a dose of Mr. Reality rather soon.<br />
<br />
They discover that recruiting new people, which is what mlm’s are all about - even if they try to tell you differently -, is not at all a simple process. There have been plenty of fraudulent businesses in this niche, and people tend to stay on their toes as soon as they hear the words mlm or network marketing.<br />
<br />
To further complicate things, this business model is also based on you paying a set monthly fee - whether you make any money or not, which means many people who start this kind of business actually end up losing money.<br />
<br />
It is definitely possible to make a good living in network marketing, but it is definitely not for everybody. "Getting in on the ground floor" is allegedly not always as good as it seems.<br />
<br />
Affiliate Marketing<br />
<br />
Affiliate marketing is similar to network marketing, in the sense that you will be promoting a product produced by another company or person. This can make life simpler for you, as the merchant usually takes care of all shipping and customer support issues. Amazon.com is probably one of the most well-known (and respected) companies utilizing the power of affiliate partnerships.<br />
<br />
As an affiliate, your task is simply to refer new clients to the merchant. When these people buy something, you receive credit with a certain percentage of the sale.<br />
<br />
Contrary to network marketing, acting as an affiliate marketer, is generally free. There are certain companies that have a hybrid structure between network and affiliate marketing, which require you to pay a start-up and/or monthly fee to market their products. Most affiliate programs are completely free to join. I would personally stay away from those using their affiliate programs as an income generator, in its own right, or "affiliate sharks”, as one marketer aptly named them.<br />
<br />
Affiliate programs are a great way that anyone can start to make money online, without having to invest a lot of money, if indeed any at all.<br />
<br />
However, there are certain strategies and marketing methods you need to be knowledgeable of, if you are to make anything but peanuts with your affiliate marketing.<br />
<br />
Choosing the right affiliate program, and promoting it to the right people in the right way is an art form in its own right.  The people who are good at this, generally referred to as "super affiliates", make a very good living doing nothing else than selling other people's products.<br />
<br />
If you are looking to make an additional income from the Internet, or eventually even replace your current income altogether, affiliates marketing is a great way to get started. To achieve the success you desire, you should study and learn the same techniques “super affiliates” use on a day-to-day basis.<br />
<br />
Andreas Sundstrom has made a full time living online for the past six years, largely thanks to the power of free affiliate programs. At his website http://www.webhosting-tips.info/affiliate/ he will share some of the most important super affiliate secrets.<br />
<br />]]></description>
<link>http://miraclemoneyblog.com/MLM/MLM_EWi_965/user/index.php</link>
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<item>
<title>Effective Client Communication</title>
<description><![CDATA[<br />
<br />
By Paul Mccord<br />
<br />
Whether you know it or not, your database of current and past clients is your best source of new clients. “Prospecting” for a new clientele is time consuming and expensive. If you can find a way to increase your sales without the time commitment and expense of cold calling, mass direct mail, advertising, or purchasing leads, would you be willing to implement it? Of course, you would!<br />
<br />
Taking the time and effort to keep in contact with past clients will grow your business through new direct sales to the client and generating referrals to qualified prospects.<br />
<br />
Often sales people complain that keeping in touch with past clients takes too much time, effort, and money. Considering the return on investment, this is not true—at least for most sales people. The key is finding a way to communicate that is time efficient, relatively inexpensive, and effective.<br />
<br />
Studies indicate that in order to keep your name at the top of your customer’s mind, you need to “touch” your customer a minimum of 14 times per year—more if possible.<br />
<br />
What is a “touch?” A touch is any communication from you to your client—email, telephone call, snail mail, postcard, holiday card, in-person meeting, or any other method of getting in front of your customer. If you are communicating with the client, you are touching them.<br />
<br />
What is the most effective way to touch your past clients? Studies have shown that there is not a “best” way to touch the client, but rather, the most effective clien