Home Business The Easy Way - DGa Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
By Marc de Bruin

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Here are a couple of resources for you to tap into when you are looking for networking opportunities:

- 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).

- Service Clubs: Lions, Rotary, Zonta, Kiwanis, Round Table, Junior Chamber, Soroptimist, to name but a few.

- Public Speaking Groups: Toastmasters International, Rostrum, National Speakers Association, etc.

- 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.

- Local business groups like Chambers of Commerce, Business Women’s Networks, Networking events organized by local government, etc.

- Self-initiated interest groups, like my Dutch networking group, the Coaches Coffee Club, etc.

- Local hobby groups: bridge, crafts, cars, motors, plants, or whatever it is that takes your fancy.

- 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.

- 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!

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.

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".

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

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By James Saunders

Did you know that you could dramatically increase the number of visitors that come to your site on a daily basis from Google?

Web Content (Mass + Keywords) + Links = SEO

Image Text or JavaScript?

Question: Navigation is based on images, again if these are images of text?

Answer: Search engines obtain links very considerable, and only read text. They like to match the topic of the target page to the text in the link that pointed to the page. Avoid JavaScript.

What to do? Use text only navigation. The text and containing elements can be styles with CSS to set them up, look like images, give a background image, or at least rearrange them to look a little fancier. The optional is to ensure that there is some text based navigation elsewhere on the page.

Gains: Search engines will be able to match the topic of the target page with the reputation (link text). A higher relevancy is better. Ensuring there is text on the page will also help the visually impaired who use text only browsers, in conjunction with Braille output devices, or text to speech software.

Links and Link Relevancy

Question: You want many links to your website?

Answer: Although links may be great for visitors and search engine spiders, the true appraisal of the link may not be fully clear to you. Visitors are unlikely to click on irrelevant links and search engines hate them. Reciprocal links, (you link to me, and I will link to you), can be of use when associated, but carry less weight in the search engines than one-way inbound links.

What to do? Avoid link farms (pages of links, for the sake of links), treat reciprocal link requests with anticipation and stay associated.

Gains: Spending time and thought on your link profile will ensure natural growth of links. Search engines hate anything that looks artificial, or anything that could be interpreted as 'Search engine Trick'.

Duplicate Content

Question: Webmaster copies content from another website, or sets up numerous sites, which are identical, or very similar. Does this mechanism work?

Answer: Search engines apply echo content filters to the search results. Although the idea of increasing the market share is a bona fide idea, a thousand similar sites is not the way to go about doing it. Efforts put into the secondary sites will be forfeited.

What to do? Endorse all of the pages so each of your sites is unique. Querying a search engine for an exact match of long strings of text will show you, if the content is bringing up elsewhere. If a webmaster does have facsimile pages and wishes to avoid any penalties or filters, the webmaster must choose one page to have the other identical pages redirect to. Redirects are covered later. You may also use random RSS Feeds that are mixed before they show up on each page. The RSS have the ability that they always have fresh content, but only if you mix 3 or more RSS feeds, you will get a unique result and not what all the other sites have that are using the same RSS feeds.

Gains: Your efforts are not wasted; time and money can be saved. Always-Fresh content from the RSS Feeds.

Numerous Sites

Question: Following on from identical content, there are numerous sites. A single webmaster has a certain number of closely themed sites, all inter-linked and hosted on the same IP address.

Answer: This is seen as search engine Frame-up, the linking structure and numerous sites just are not natural. Penalties can apply.

What to do? Such site structures can work if set up properly. This means that each site must reside on its own IP address where, at least, the C class is different. IP address is covered later.

Gains: Increased market share, effectively linked and spiderable sites, no penalties applied.

Unfriendly URLs

Question: The URL (web address) of some of your sites pages look like domain dot com/product.php?id=2346&category=665&sid=f29a3483270cc10b3783706916216e3a

Answer: Search engine spiders are getting better, and following, and indexing these form of URLs, but not all of them. The spiders are scared of being caught in an endless loop of identical pages with 1000s of different URLs. They are also off putting to your site visitors who could surely remember mydomain dot com/products/cars/boostvalves.

What to do? Use Search Engine Friendly URLs. If you are running the Apache web server on Linux enabled server use mod_rewrite to translate the URLs into something nicer.

Gains: Higher chance of being indexed by more of the search engines, keywords in your URL, higher chance of being clicked on in the SERPs

Redirects

There are two main redirects, based on the HTTP specification

301 - moved permanently

302 - moved temporarily

You should use 301 redirects wherever possible. This can be done in your server side scripting, eg

Code: php

header("HTTP/1.1 301 Found");

header("Location: w w w newdomain dot com/");

redirects can also be set up in your .htaccess file, if you run the Apache web server

IP addresses (C class)

IP addresses are the numerical addresses of computers connected to the internet. For ease of reading, they are broken down into four parts, each called an octet as they contain 8 bits of data when written in binary form. An example my be 62.85.68.114. in this case, the C class is 68 (and everything up to it), so if you have a few sites hosted on this IP they would all have identical IP addresses. If each had a single IP address that started 62.85.68. then they all share the same C-class IP address. As the allocation of IP addresses within a server involvement is usually configured so that each server has it's own C-class; this means that a search engine knows that all sites on the same C-class IP address are all located on the same server

Your competitors might not be standing still; neither should you.

James Saunders is the owner of TrafficBoosterPro, the SEO software which makes Unique Content pages Quickly and Easily! Software that bring massive Traffic from RSS Feeds in AutoPilot, now in it's 2nd revision at http://TrafficBoosterPro.com.

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By Liz Tahir

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.

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!”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Having good information is critical in business today. It is yours for the (right) asking!

Copyright 2006, Liz Tahir

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.

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By Mark Spall

Most marketing gurus now agree on two key facts that apply to almost any business:

* it takes at least seven ‘touches’ to turn a prospect into a sale.
* it costs at least seven times as much to secure a new customer as to keep an existing one.

Which means every successful business needs to have three tools at its disposal:

* One to secure the loyalty of its customer base.
* A second, to deliver those seven ‘touches’ after a prospective client first makes contact.
* A third, that allows existing satisfied customers to pass referrals to friends, colleagues, and contacts.

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.

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.

Knowing there are people who will do the painful stuff for you, read on to find how newsletters make such a difference.

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.

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.

…but it has to be professional!

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.

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:

* reminded about your company, and its products and services, at regular intervals
* inspired and excited by stories from other satisfied clients
* informed about new offerings – and, perhaps, given valuable introductory offers
* encouraged to pass on your details to friends and colleagues

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.

For example:

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.

So how would you respond?

Well, you could say ‘Excuse me, are you planning to buy a book?’
You could say, ‘This isn’t a library, you know.’
Alternatively, you could say, ‘That’s an interesting one, isn’t it? Have you seen his latest?’

In other words, you could actively encourage that customer to come back and keep browsing until they find something they want to buy.

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.

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!

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.

To sum up:

A good newsletter can:

* Secure the loyalty of existing customers – and remind them about the full range of products/services you offer
* Win the confidence and interest of potential new customers who have paid only one visit to your website
* Make it easy for existing customers to pass referrals to people they know who are likely to be interested.

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.

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By Delia Passi

Salesperson Rick escorts prospective customer Sandra to the door, and shakes her hand, then turns back to his office.

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.”

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.”

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

The New Woman Customer

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.

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.

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.

Tips for car dealers:

1. Get your business in order first. That means making sure your showrooms and your environment/individual offices are women friendly.

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%.

3. Put your active listening skills into high gear. Women claim that they are often “not heard” or understood.

4. Be patient. Recognize that women take more time in the sales process. Use this time to learn more about her.

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!

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!

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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By Ian Simpson

You want to start an online business, but do not have your own product to sell. However, you do have the option of starting with affiliate marketing - selling other peoples' products for a commission. Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money. In just the last few years, affiliate marketing has become a very powerful force in ecommerce. Everyday, thousands, if not millions, of merchants rely on affiliate marketing to drive their businesses.

So, is online affiliate marketing right for you? You will never know unless you take the necessary steps. If you do not try, then you cannot expect to succeed. Make today the day that you commit to changing the direction of your life. However, like any other business, whether it is online or off line, affiliate marketing cannot guarantee you success unless you work at it.

As with any business, start up, and affiliate marketing is no exception, you will need to spend some money on the basics to get you started. Through proper budgeting, you can reduce your initial outlay. Therefore, decide how much money you can afford to invest in your affiliate marketing business. You will have some expenses, if you want to be successful, and you can put off, until the time you start earning income from your affiliate products. Some items that you will need to budget for are:

Domain Name. The domain name should relate to the subject and keep your domain name simple and easy to remember. There is quite a span between the low-cost and the high-end cost of domain names. If you shop around, you may even be able to find something less expensive. However, make sure it is a well-established company! You do not want to lose your domain name once you have decided on it! You will likely get a better deal if you register your domain name for two or more years in advance. Namecheap.com and Godaddy.com are both excellent domain providers.

Website Hosting. Web hosting fees will vary dramatically between hosting providers. Set up a comparison chart and write down each company you are considering. Some companies offer rates as low as $2 a month, while others charge over $100. The highest rates do not always translate into the best service. Some of the lower-priced hosts offer a reliable, stable environment that allows your website to have access around the clock for years. Hostgator.com provides quality hosting at reasonable prices. Shop carefully, and if possible, avoid free hosting which can be unreliable.

Merchant Account. You do not have to invest thousands of dollars to open a merchant account. Find a merchant account vendor through a local financial institution, like a bank, and discuss the possibilities that will best suit your business and your customers. A merchant account will let you start accepting credit card payments for customer purchases, which will enhance the shopping experience for most customers and earn your company a progressive reputation. Never assume you will have extravagant monthly charges when you open a merchant account. Shop around, ask questions, and compare costs to get the best, low cost merchant account available for your business. Your customers will thank you with repeat and additional business.

Software. You will need to track your expenses and income from your affiliate business and the simplest way is to use Microsoft Excel or similar program. Seeing your expenses for the whole year is a great way to keep them under control. What is the final total? Does that seem extreme? Remember, this is for an entire year. Keep it in perspective. If you intend to have a real business, you must treat it as a real business.

Advertising. The best marketing tip you will ever hear is to advertise your product or business. In today's market, anyone in business knows that advertising is the backbone to his or her success. Even with the greatest product on the planet, a product that you know everyone needs and wants, without advertising, it is just an idea going nowhere. Make sure you check out the best ways to advertise your business. It can be a fun, profitable, and easy experience with the right tools.

Education. Ongoing education is going to be extremely important to your affiliate marketing success. You will not have to purchase many educational materials if you do not want to. There are many free resources, such as newsletters, that you can study. Sign up for a few newsletters and use the information to gain experience.

Affiliate marketing can be a great way to create a business on the internet. You will need to learn and understand the basics before you set off on your online adventure. Choose your affiliate programs carefully and make sure you get the support and backup from the affiliate program.

Ian Simpson reviews and writes about software and informational products on the internet. Further affiliate business advice can be found at http://information4income.com/sfpr.

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By Bobette Kyle

A popular way to segment customers is by revenue or profit generated, with "A-list" customers receiving more benefits and personal service than "lower" categories. There are right and wrong ways to do this.

Doing it right means cultivating customers so they all feel appreciated, by developing or improving products to meet each customer ‘segments' needs. Result: pleased customers and higher profit.

Doing it wrong creates risk of sub-standard service for "unimportant" customers, making them feel unappreciated and resentful. Result: missed profit opportunities and disgruntled customers.

Brand Image

When deciding how to service each customer segment, remember that every point of contact with a customer reflects on the brand, regardless of customer "importance." Over time, this has an impact on brand image and company reputation.

With the Internet so prevalent today, each individual has more power to voice his/her opinion than in times past, which directly affects brand image and goodwill associated with the name. Each mistreated customer has the means to tell the world of her/his experience on Web sites that allow reviews (such as bizrate.com and Amazon.com) and online discussion forums.

An Example of Bad Service from the Customer Viewpoint

The way each of my credit card issuers treats me is a prime example. I always pay my bill in full (often early) and belong to the "cash back" rebate programs, so I imagine I'm in a similar customer segment for each and would expect to be treated similarly by these three competitors.

Not the case. Two of the companies make me feel like a valued customer. The third made me feel so unappreciated I closed the account. How the three companies handle "suspicious" activity on my account demonstrates the varying degrees of service:

- Discover card has a fraud specialist, (or customer service representative), call me in person to ask that I review recent transactions with her/him.

- Citibank's computer calls me with an alert, asking that I call a number or go online to verify transactions through a computerized process.

- Advanta locks the account and sends a letter informing me they have done so. In my experience, the letter arrived a week after the incident and I was not notified by telephone (I called them when the "offending" vendor notified me of the decline). I asked customer service to allow future charges from that vendor, but they could not do so. Presumably, this meant an account freeze each time my authorized vendor attempted to process a legitimate charge.

All three of my card companies require that I take some sort of action to verify suspicious charges, which I can expect to happen. The approach, however, leaves a very different impression. Citibank and Discover both apologize for the inconvenience of transaction verifications, and -- while I have to go through an extra step with Citibank, -- both fall within my subjective definition of quality customer service. Advanta, however, does not apologize for the hardships of declined transactions and a frozen account.

To be fair, I do not know that my negative experience would have been handled differently, if I were in a more profitably customer segment. It could have been the result of badly trained customer service representatives, or perhaps this is standard procedure on all accounts.

Tips for Segmenting Customers without Sacrificing Service

Customer segmentation is a good thing. It helps you recognize how customers are different and it should draw your attention to needs of different segments, prompting you to meet those needs. Some ideas on successful segmentation:

- Segment by need rather than profit or revenue. A low-profit customer today could be high-profit tomorrow if you offer products and services to meet her/his needs.

- Look for ways some customer segments can effectively be”self-service," which cuts costs for the company while meeting customer service needs.

- Build in ways to create exceptions in automated customer service processes, so as not to alienate those with special situations (in my example, by allowing a way to preauthorize account activity).

- If offering promotions, rewards, or other incentives to some segments but not others, "spell it out" for customer service representatives. Structure your Web site and promotional mailings accordingly. By taking steps to assure customers receive consistent information across all channels of communication, you avoid exposure of customers to offers for which they do not qualify.

There are ways to segment customers without lowering customer service. By doing so effectively, you nurture business growth and reputation.

Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, online marketing experience, and marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing. You can find more of her free marketing planning articles at: http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com.

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By Alvin Phang

Before you decide what to sell on the internet, you have to develop an Internet Marketing Strategy. That is the essential part of your online success on the Internet.

You have to take into consideration the following:

1. Find a large and easy to reach niche market
2. Find a Product or Service the niche market demands
3. Set up your website
4. Have a great sales copy (your 24/7 sales man)
5. Create an opt-in page to collect email address
6. Have a great sales process
7. Make your website scalable and search engine friendly
8. Backend, backend and backend

Each step plays an important role to the success in your Internet Marketing Strategy Planning. If you miss even one-step, you will not be able to see the results you would like to see, as each step is equally important to the other.

1. Find a large and easy to reach niche market.

Your first step in your Internet Marketing Strategy planning requires you to do your research. Locate a large and easy to reach niche market to market your product. Now, go to Free Keywords, tools, and search for niche keywords that have high click through and low competitions.

Example, the keyword “Dog Food for Sale”, when you search for that on Google there is actually 5,650,000, which is not a lot of competition. You also have to check; is there a demand for it, by using tools from www.seobook.com to look at the KEI rate. The higher the KEI rate the better the keyword.

2. Find a Product or Service the niche market demands.

After you have found two or three keywords that you would like to target, you would want to find products that will serve the market that has a demand for it.

Example, like the keyword “Dog Food for Sale”, you would not want to promote Cat Food, as it does not relate to the topic you want to promote. So find related products like an eBook “where to find a great sale for dog food” or “dog products that dogs like to eat”.

3. Set up your website.

After you have decided what product or service you want to sell online, you would want to set up a website to promote your product. The best way to do it is by creating a Blog to talk only about “Dog Food that is for Sale”. Because Google and Yahoo search engine loves Blogs so much that you virtually get listed in just 24 hours upon updating, compared to a normal website, which will take at least a few weeks to be 'cached' into the search engine.

4. Have a great sales copy (your 24/7 salesman).

Do not be mistaken, sales copy is not the sale. A sales copy is a page with descriptions and details to promote your product on your website. When I first heard of this term, sales copy, I was very stunned how important it was to have a sales copy.

Depending on how good your own copy writing skills are, you can get people to write your sales copy, or simply teach yourself to write one. If you try to write it yourself, as copy, writing is a very good skill to learn, especially when you are an Internet Marketer who plans Internet Marketing Strategy.

5. Create an opt-in page to collect email address.

The opt-in page is another important step that many do not have, and it is the most important. Why? It is because they fail to collect email address from their website. With the email address, you can design out your sales process in the next step, which I will explain further.

6. Have a great sales process.

With your opt-in page in place, you can use the captured email address and name to follow up with people who are interested in knowing more about what you are promoting on your opt-in page. One way to build your list of emails is to send them information or promotional products, and to sell those products again in the future.

7. Make your website scalable and search engine friendly.

With all that done, you would now need to read up on Search Engine Optimization. Practicing this will allow search engines like Yahoo and Google to spider your website, easily. The good thing about Blogs is you can ping the search engines to spider your site, and you can be listed very quickly within 24 hours.

8. Backend, backend, and backend.

Upon completion of all seven steps, you just need to keep on sending backend information to your list from your opt-in emails that you receive, and keep on driving traffic to your opt-in page to get more email address to sent out promotions to your customers.

If you constantly follow this eight-step formula for your Internet Marketing Strategy Plan, you will see massive results after 3 months upon your set up. So do the math and start planning your Internet Marketing Strategy today!

Alvin Phang is the owner of http://www.GatherSuccess.com . Get the right Internet Marketing Strategy for your Internet Business with our free resource of Internet Marketing Strategy Planning, Tips, Tutorials, Videos, Reviews, and click the following link for more http://www.gathersuccess.com.

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By Diana D'Itri

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.

With that said, competition is not always a bad thing. Especially if you can prove that, you are better than they are.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Just think about the radio. Numerous products are sold by a voice coming through a speaker.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Your business can capture audio testimonials from your satisfied customers in two ways:

1. Hire a professional review company to help facilitate and record your testimonial participants.

a. An interviewer will record your customers for you. This method authenticates your testimonials and saves you the awkwardness of doing it yourself.

2. Set up a dedicated telephone line that will record and prompt your customers to leave a testimonial.

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.

Once you have captured several audio testimonials, it makes sense to showcase them everywhere and anywhere you typically advertise.

· Web site pages

* Place your customer reviews on your testimonials page, front page, or next to areas on your site that can be corroborated by a testimonial.

· Email

*Talk to your web master about Imbedding a customer testimonial link on the top, bottom, or side of your email page.

· On Hold

*Incorporate your audio testimonials into your 'on hold' message so callers can hear them while they are waiting.

· Radio Ads

*Write a radio ad that features your customer's testimonials. (If it is good enough for Mercury Insurance, why not you?)

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.

Your prospects will be more motivated to do business with you when they hear the voice of your satisfied customer singing your praises.

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.

Visit http://www.ravebroadcasting.com or http://www.competitionscoop.com/landscaping.html to listen to audio rave reviews.

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By Tellman H. Knudson

Your goal as a marketer is to monetize your site as quickly and as easily as possible. In the process, build your list along the way.

There are all sorts of different ways to think about doing this.

If you are an AdSense publisher, it may be smarter to have AdSense only after people subscribe to your list. In addition, it may be smarter to only show the AdSense after people have told a friend.

Do you see why?

If these people are not on your list, if they are not telling their friends, then you cannot monetize those people again. They visit your site, and then leave, and go to the AdSense ad site, and forget to join your list. If they are on your list, you can monetize them repeatedly with ways that have more impact than AdSense.

Until they subscribe, do not show the AdSense. It may turn people off and they may not join your list. Alternatively, as I said, there are various ways to think about this. Maybe when they subscribe, the AdSense disappears because you already captured their names and addresses for your list, and then you can follow up and make recommendations on products that they would benefit from. Test these!

Perhaps, do an A/B split test, where one page has AdSense and the other does not. See which one works better, and then go with it. However, keep testing. Test your headline; test your subscribe button. You can test all the elements of your page--one test at a time. For instance, do not change your headline and the opt-in button at the same time. You will not know which prompted the viewer to join your list.

Consider the following. When implementing marketing strategies, do not take too much time before you test them. If they do not work, you took a lot of time to think about something, which did not work.

I would recommend that you send out a press release. Do it today, or at least first thing in the morning to drive traffic to your squeeze page, which should lead to your sales letter or the sales letter of the product you are promoting. A press release about your new site will get some traffic.

You also want to use pay-per-click. The reason you want to use pay-per-click is, you can check your conversions and see how everything works before you find list members and everything else. I would use pay-per-click and get rolling with that right away.

Whatever your budget is $5, $10, $100, or $2,000, spend that. You want to go low. You can spend $5 to $10 a day. Focus on split testing and tweaking the squeeze page and the sales page, until it is making money for you on the $10 a day.

The whole thing is... Do not Wait! Take action immediately! Do not let anything stop you. If your squeeze page sucks, you can make changes to it, until it does not suck anymore. Yet, it is out there the whole time, getting some response. If you had nothing working for you, you would be no further in building your list.

Tellman Knudson is CEO of http://OvercomeEverything.com. Learn how to build a powerful and responsive list quickly through his premiere list-building course, http://MyFirstList.com (http:/myfirstlist.com ).

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By Laurie Brown

You Made a Mistake…But Now I Am Your Biggest Fan

Pearl chose to celebrate her 94th birthday with her family and friends at a local restaurant. Although she had always enjoyed the restaurant, she specifically chose it because she was a member of its frequent diner program and was entitled to free desserts for all her guests on her birthday.

She graciously offered each guest whatever dessert he or she wanted “on the house.” The server overheard Pearl and asked for the card that was sent to her announcing this offer. Pearl had not brought the card with her. The server apologized, but refused to offer the desserts saying, “There’s nothing that I can do. It’s policy.” Pearl was embarrassed, not only for forgetting the card, but also for putting her guests in an uncomfortable position.

One of the guests asked for a manager hoping that someone would do the right thing. No such luck. The manager repeated the same mantra, “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do. It’s policy.” The manager “allowed” the guest to call the corporate headquarters. Two phone calls later, a corporate manager said, “No problem!”

Of course, there was a problem. A big problem! Pearl was humiliated and angry. No one left the restaurant feeling fondly about what had been a great meal celebrating a momentous occasion. It will be a long time before Pearl or any of her guests return to this restaurant, if ever.

What had been accomplished? In an effort to “save money” by not allowing people to take advantage of the dessert offer, the restaurant had lost five good and loyal customers. It does not seem to be a smart business move, does it?

However, it was not just five customers that were lost. This lunch was such a bad experience for Pearl and her guests that they have been telling this story repeatedly and over.

People love to tell stories. They especially love to tell horror stories. Interestingly enough, customers will not tell stories about satisfactory experiences. Too boring… what would be the point? However, they will tell stories about exceptionally bad or exceptionally good service.

Consider these three examples:

You order a new door for your home. The company comes on time and replaces your door. Are you going to share that story with anyone? Doubtful. You are a satisfied customer. End of story.

You order a new door for your home. They come to install it and find that the frame was measured incorrectly. This is the third wrong door delivered. Are you going to share THIS story? You betcha! Every friend and family member will know the name of the company and they will tell their friends and family to stay away!

You order a new door for you home. They come to install it and find that the frame was measured incorrectly. The installer apologizes sincerely, telling you that he understands what a waste of time this has been for you. He promises that he will personally make sure you have the right door in a week. Then he asks, “Would that satisfy you?” When you say “yes”, he sets the day and time.

The installer comes the next week as promised and installs your door. You are now a satisfied customer. However, he wants you to be more than a satisfied customer—he wants you to be thrilled—so he takes 20% off your bill to compensate you for your trouble. The following week the owner gives you a call to see if everything is okay.

Are you going to share this story? Without a doubt! In so doing, you will become the company’s cheapest and most effective form of advertising!

So, how can you turn your disgruntled customer into your biggest fan?

Customers enter into every transaction with a set of basic expectations. When you create a problem for your customers by failing to meet these expectations, you are faced with meeting a new set of even more challenging expectations.

There are simple steps that will work to not only meet these expectations, but also exceed them. Imagine the following scenario: Mr. Jones has arrived at your dealership to pick up his car at the promised time; however, his vehicle is still being worked on. Mr. Jones is becoming irate. What should you do?

Step One: Empathetic apology. It is not sufficient to mumble the word “sorry” and expect it to have a positive effect. Your apology needs to show your customer that YOU understand how YOUR mistake has negatively affected his or her life.

Step Two: Take ownership. You want the customer to understand that you are the person who will fix their problem. Ask the customer what you can do to “make it right”. Often people are afraid to ask their customer this question. They do not want to become obligated to meet an unrealistic demand. You need not be afraid of their answer, because simply asking does not obligate you. Most customers are reasonable—at worst; you have the beginning of a negotiation.

Step Three: Fix the problem immediately. In the case of Mr. Jones, you would want to get his car to him ASAP. Sometimes you cannot fix the problem immediately, in which case you need to show him that you are making a sincere effort to resolve the problem.

Step Four: Get your customer’s buy in. Asking for the customer’s agreement will ensure that he will at least leave satisfied.

Try something like, “I am so sorry Mr. Jones—not having your vehicle ready at the promised time must have really inconvenienced you. I will personally make sure that your vehicle is ready in the next 20 minutes. Will that be satisfactory?”

With small problems, these four steps should satisfy your customer. However, remember—a “satisfied” customer does not talk about his experience. Now, take the opportunity to add value, so that your customers will talk about how great you are. To do this, you need to take two additional steps.

Step Five: Symbolic atonement. You need to go the extra mile to show that you are truly sorry. A small token can go a long way to ease the pain your mistake caused. In the case of Mr. Jones, an offer of a free oil change might be appropriate. This gift shows that you understand that an apology alone cannot fix the problem. Reflect on what you know about this customer and choose something that has meaning and value to him.

Step Six: Follow up. This is where you can really shine! After a short period of time, call, e-mail, or write your customer and make sure they are satisfied with your efforts. This is also an opportunity to ask for more business and referrals.

None of these steps takes an inordinate amount of time or money, but they can really create delighted customers—customers who will tell stories that promote you to their friends and family.

Now, let us go back to Pearl’s birthday lunch. Why was not the permission to provide the free desserts enough to turn it into a “good story?” The weight of the damage that was done was so much more than the effort it would have taken to make it right at the beginning.

What should this restaurant have done? An empathetic apology would have been a start. “Mrs. Grey, we are so sorry that we ruined your birthday. We hope these desserts will make it a little better.” (Steps 1-3 in action) However, they needed to go the extra mile. She should have been sent a letter apologizing again and offering a free meal to compensate her for her discomfort. (Step 5) The final touch that could turn this nightmare into an opportunity to create a loyal customer would be a phone call after she redeemed the free meal to make sure that it was good experience. (Step 6)

People are telling stories about you and your business. What kind of stories are they telling? View every customer problem as an opportunity to produce a cheerleader for your business. Turn your potential nightmare into a great story. Do the right thing.

Laurie Brown is an international speaker, trainer and consultant who work to help people improve their sales, service and presentation skills. She is the author of The Teleprompter Manual, for Executives, Politicians, Broadcasters and Speakers. Laurie can be contacted through http://www.thedifference.net, or 1-877.999.3433, or at lauriebrown@thedifference.net
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By Susan Friedmann

It is time for a visualization exercise. Are you ready?

Picture this:

You are standing, with your staff, in your exhibit booth at a large tradeshow. This is one of the best shows you regularly participate in. It attracts a sizeable number of your target audience. Your team is prepared. Your display looks terrific. You have interactive demonstrations. You have sponsored a speaker. Your giveaway items convey your marketing message, appealing to your target audience, and are in plentiful supply.

Looks good, right?

There is something in this scene, something I have not mentioned yet, that could make it all even better. Something that will not only boost your ROI, but will create that most vital of marketing tools.

What is it?

It is a secret weapon that is more than come of age. In fact, it has been around since the beginning of time, but only now is it realizing its full potential. This build up and suspense is all about “word of mouth marketing” and how you can use it to your advantage on the tradeshow floor.

I have recently read Seth Godin's “Flipping the Funnel", and it really brought home the concept of how underutilized tradeshow attendees are as a marketing tool. Attendees are more than prospects and contacts: they are a potential sales force, just waiting to tap on your behalf.

According to Godin, we should:

Turn strangers into friends.
Turn friends into customers.
Turn then ... do the most important job
Turn your customers into sales people.

Why?

Why would you want to recruit a whole bunch of amateur salespeople, you might ask, when you already have a perfectly competent, fully trained professional sales team? After all, you have spent considerable resources recruiting, training, and retaining your current team. Isn't that enough?

Frankly, no. Regardless of how big your sales force is, there's no way they are going to be able to connect with every person who might be interested in your products and services. Even working flat out, as Godin suggests, they are not selling as much as you would like.

This is where your friends and customers enter the picture. If you view them as assets, as allies in the world of sales, you have already expanded your potential marketplace. When more people are working on your behalf, you will reach more customers. It is simple mathematics.

There is another benefit as well. When your friends and customers recommend your products and services, their words carry far more weight than anything your sales team can say. People value the opinions of colleagues, peers, and relatives far more than they do the assurances of a salesperson. It is the difference between editorial speech and advertising, played out in a face-to-face setting.

So Now What?

Being convinced that recruiting tradeshow attendees to act on your behalf is one thing, convincing them to do it is another. According to Godin, we continually spend a tremendous amount of time and energy attempting to spread our marketing message to more and more people. This particularly holds true at tradeshows, where the focus is often on how to attract more people to your exhibit. As well, as talk to several people at once.

A slight shift in the priorities might be in order. While starting new business relationships will always be important, a new emphasis exists on strengthening and maintaining existing relationships.

Consider your current customers. Ask yourself -- or even better, ask them, how they feel about your products and services. How about your customer service? What makes doing business with your organization unique, enjoyable, and/or remarkable?

Whatever the answers, what are you doing to help your customers spread the word? Godin offers a number of technical solutions in his free e-book http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/files/flippingfunnelPRO.pdf which I highly recommend that you read, but here are a few more hands-on tools to implement at your next tradeshow:

Be Honest

Tell your best customers how much you appreciate them and how much you would value having more customers like them. It's no secret that you're in business to make money. No one thinks you are at the show as a philanthropic endeavor. Appealing to your customers to spread the word carries with it an implied compliment: You are reinforcing the fact that you think they are important, by extension, that other people think they are important, and that their opinion of you matters.

Encourage Referrals

Do you know how often your customer thinks about your company? It is probably less than 1% of their daily life -- after all, they have their own companies to worry about, and their own customer base, not to mention their own personal lives and world events. Sometimes people need a little prompting to spread the word -- otherwise, it might not occur to them.

Offer Incentives

If you want your customers to do something for you, you need to do something for them. Godin's idea is that by offering superior products and services, in a remarkable fashion, you will transform customers into fans.

Having strong advocates and supporters never hurts. Offering incentives for spreading the word can be a simple thing – an attractive discount on their next order, for example -- or something more elaborate. Remember, as tradeshow attendees skew younger, more than financial savings or benefits to their company may motivate them. Consider offering something more personal: a gift that would appeal to your target audience.

In Conclusion

Transforming customers into fans may not have been the top priority on your exhibiting list -- but it should be. Recruiting an all-volunteer sales force to augment your existing efforts is one of the most cost effective ways to get your marketing message out there.

Remember: people like to share stories about what they find good, interesting, or unique. By offering that at your next tradeshow, you are giving yourself a vital leg up on the competition -- those who are concentrating on the next new thing miss the value of what they might already have.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, e-mail: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; website: http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com

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By Michael Hepworth

This kind of attitude is not unique to high-tech firms. It was definitely a dominant theme one day last week when I was a guest at a discussion group for technology companies selling health care.

There was a fascinating discussion about what is happening in health care and how technology is changing the landscape in this rapidly changing environment.

Yet, despite these great opportunities, there was a lot of discussion of how prospects in this industry do not really understand what these technology firms, are offering. There was much complaining about their un-willingness to take risks, and in general, it sounded like the customers were to blame for many of the problems these firms were experiencing.

It sounded to me like many of these firms had it backwards. They had fallen in love with their products instead of their customers. It is not your customers’ responsibility to understand what you sell, and how it could help them, it is yours. This is one of the most fundamental principles of marketing.

These firms did not understand their customers’ needs, as clearly as they should, and as a result, blamed the customers when the sales did not materialize.

The only way to sell is to start from the prospect’s side. If you do not, you will generally get the same result as these unfortunate firms.

Starting from the prospect’s side means you cannot pitch a solution simply because you think it is a good idea. Alternatively, talk about how wonderful you or your products are. No one cares and there are hundreds of firms who offer the same undifferentiated “stuff” you do.

You have to stop talking about yourself. People like this at social events have trapped us all. In that environment, it may be difficult for you to get away, but not so, for the sales prospect, they will just ignore you.

You have to remember no one wants to be sold. Therefore, you have to approach it from the perspective of serving the customer.

A good mindset is “You Matter. Your well-being is important to me. Let me see how I can help!”

This mindset forces you to focus on the customer first, and for your firm to become the champion of your customers and prospects, ultimately making certain you are their most trusted supplier, because you leave them in a better condition than when you started. From this position, it is much easier to gain acceptance of your ideas.

So how do you begin this process?

The first step is to convince your prospects to give you their attention.

The only way you can do this is if your marketing messages speak to their desires, frustrations, and fears. You must convince them you are worth spending time with or that your web site is worth visiting.

You have to be different from your competitors. If you are saying the same thing, you become indistinguishable in the crowd.

A good headline for a letter, brochure, or web site is a good start…but it is not enough. You have to have substance that will keep them involved with you, reading your letters, listening to your suggestions, or reading what is on your web site.

You can only do this if you provide value. Not simply that you have a great product or service, but how you can help them solve a problem. Good products are a table stake in business and bad products do not stay around very long.

The moment prospects no longer perceive value, you lose them. There are too many competing messages out there, to expect them to listen to you any longer than it takes them to decide you are worth listening to, or to cut and run.

Testimonials are critical for new products and services. Social proof is very effective in encouraging undecided people to move forward. Few people want to be pioneers unless the risk is very low. The newer the product, the greater the perceived risk!

You have to find ways to remove the risk, if not; you may have a great product or service that never sees the light of day. It may even be necessary to work free, on occasion, in exchange for testimonials, if what you have is unproven. Think of it as a marketing cost.

You also have to convince prospects that what you offer has good value, but better still a bargain. You do this by making dramatic comparisons with the current situation and presenting this information in a compelling way.

Finally, you have to make it very easy for them to buy. You can do this with extended payment terms, limited offers to early adopters, guarantees, and other incentives.

When you demonstrate in believable ways that you have your prospects’ interests at heart and are intent on helping them make the right decision, then you will reduce the resistance to your products and services.

Michael Hepworth is the Streetsmart Marketer. You can sign up for his free marketing tip newsletter by visiting http://www.streetsmartmarketer.com/. There you will find this article and hundreds more free marketing tips.

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By David Perdew

You know its Christmas time when two things happen...

1) People stand in line for 48 hours, camped outside Best Buy for 48 hours, waiting for the latest PlayStation release, or...

2) The Internet giveaway fever really heats up - More about this later.

The current Play Station mania is an incredible lesson in marketing. However, I missed the importance of what was going on until a friend smacked me in the face with it this morning...

DUMB LIKE A FOX...

Our friend -- I'll call him AJ -- reported this morning that he and his wife had just returned from Wal-Mart where they had been camping for 48 hours to get one of four available PlayStations 3, when they went on sale...

Unbelievable! I thought he was insane when he told us this. Who wants a PlayStation bad enough to stand in line 48 hours?

Well...

He said with a smile, "We got two!"

So! It was still 48 hours in front of a store, right. Do your kids really need PlayStations THAT badly?

"Oh, they're not for the kids! We listed them on eBay within an hour," he said, still smiling. "And they're averaging 5 to 7 thousand dollars. Some have sold for more than $14,000." Search for "PlayStation 3" on eBay. The prices blew me away.

I was stunned. Not because of the price, (people pay extravagant prices for just about anything), nor because my "insane" friend actually made about $390 per hour, if he sells them both for $7000, but because I had totally missed the entire marketing lesson expertly laid out by Sony and Wal-Mart.

The six basic marketing persuaders from Robert Cialdini's classic book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion", are in full view!

** Authority -- Wal-Mart. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are the big kahuna in mega store retailing. If they advertise that they have four PlayStations in stock...they have four and only four in stock. However, they promise they can get more because...well, they can.

** Liking -- People practically live at Wal-Mart. Convenience and service translate into customers with an undying loyalty to them, often because they have become the only game in town.

** Commitment with Consistency -- Let's see. Stand outside in November in the rain for 48 hours to be the first in line for the release of a new product. That's serious commitment!

** Reciprocation -- Wal-Mart provides a free (and massive) PS3 buyer's guide on their site that provides all the information you need to make a decision between the $500 and $600 basic units, and all the accessories required. Giving such, complete information not only sets up the authority persuader, but also makes you value the content and feel indebted to the retailer. Call this reciprocity.

** Social Proof -- The press has been lapping up Sony's press releases about the PlayStation launch date, and the lack of product. In addition, the gaming blogs can talk of nothing else.

** Scarcity -- Sony is really smart! They do this every year. Release only enough of the hot product to create an insatiable appetite for it. They may have warehouses full of PlayStations, but they won't release them until the market begs for more.

HOW DID I MISS THIS!

AJ knew -- before he invested the time to stand in line --that the market was clamoring for the product. In addition, he saw an opportunity.

He had no intention of keeping the PlayStations himself. His research on eBay confirmed that PS3 fans were rabid and would pay any price!

Like any good marketer, he remembered the first rule: Determine what the market wants and sell it to them. As Mark Hendricks, a master marketer, and creator of the Christmas season giveaways, likes to say, that's the difference between "marketing" and "selling" -- it's much easier to make money when you're providing a much-wanted service.

Selling something no one wants is hard work, indeed. Marketing is easy.

I should have seen it too. I've studied with some great internet marketers. Most teach the basic principles of Robert Cialdini's book.

CHRISTMAS MADNESS...

During the Christmas season, online marketers flock to the Internet to collect gifts -- usually informational products and software tools. Always free, hence the name giveaway, the purpose is to drive traffic. All of Cialdini's uses the six persuaders to create the buzz, exchange the gifts for e-mail addresses and names.

The 12 Days of Christmas is the granddaddy of the online giveaway extravaganza and Mark Hendricks is the father of the concept. For several years now, Mark has brought together more than 75 top marketers to giveaway hundreds of products during the month of December.

Because the concept worked so well and has become an Internet marketing staple, a gazillion giveaways pop up. It's now a standard tool in every marketer's toolkit. Why does it work so well? It's based on one of Cialdini's persuaders -- reciprocity.

I give you something and you'll feel obligated to give me something back. It's a technique used everywhere. When you go to the grocery, clerks stand at sample stations offering everything from cubes of cheese to portions of spaghetti and meatballs. Why? If you take a sample, chances are really good that you'll buy the product.

However, at Christmas...Whew! It's tough to keep up and maintain enough free disk space on your computer for all the online giveaway opportunities.

The six persuaders (all included above) are real. Until I got involved in the Internet, I had no idea I was being "persuaded" at every turn. We all react to them, will forever, and have ever since the first caveman tried to sell the first hunk of meat to his neighbor.

It took a PlayStation 3 and AJ to point me back to the "real" world to see it in action there too.

David Perdew is an enthusiastic Internet Success System student (http://www.the60dayexperiment.com/recommends/iss.htm) and contributor to 12 Days of Christmas (http://www.the60dayexperiment.com/go/12Days.htm). You can read about how he incorporates Mark's marketing techniques on his blog (http://www.the60dayexperiment.com/blog/12day.htm).

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By Juste Gnimavo

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.

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.

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.

When preparing your autoresponder messages, it is imperative to strike a balance between excitement and hype about your product.

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.

Here are also a few other deadly spam sins to avoid:

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.

Here are more tips on beating spam filters and verification programs:

1. On your "Thank You" pages, remind your subscriber:

- 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.

- 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.

- If he does not receive your welcome email, indicate to him to check his trash or spam folders.

2. 4 steps to follow in sending your messages in the mail box of your subscribers.

- Never, begin your subject line with ADV: or include the word "advertisement".

- Never use the word "free" in the subject line-especially in all caps.

- In fact, never use the word FREE (in all caps) anywhere in the message. If possible, avoid using all caps altogether.

- 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.

- 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.

3. Formatting your autoresponder messages.

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.

Another potential problem is the font you choose.

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.

Do not write your message in 16-point Impact Red or other "flashy" font styles and sizes.

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.

Use emphasis like color, bold and italics sparingly for effect.

4. Structure your messages and make sure you easily keep reading.

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!

5. Do not use chat language in the text of your message.

Even to people who know what LOL, IMHO, or IOW stand for.

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.

6. Do remind people that:

1. They are receiving your message because they requested more information, or a friend suggested they would like to receive the information.

2. They can opt out of further messages using a link you have provided at the end of the message.

Keep your messages out of spam oblivion by adhering to these guidelines, and you will see your sales and response rates climb.

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

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By Jason Lam

Keyword research is an integral part of any SEM initiative, whether it may be PPC or SEO, so it is important to do it right. It is also important to do it right from the start. Google spiders (the bots that indexes web pages) can take months before they cycle to your site, so if you target the wrong keywords initially, it could take months to fix.

We have briefly listed the top five things to consider before you begin your fun journey of keyword researching.

1. Define your targeted pages.

Recognize what goals you want to achieve. If you are looking to sell cars, you want to optimize the pages containing information on a specific type of car, or pages containing content that will lead them to buy a car. Pages such as the About Us page and History page will not need optimization since no one is specifically searching for those pages. Make a list of the pages you feel would provide a lead for your business, and target the keywords on those pages.

2. Speak the way your audiences speaks.

While the correct term to describe your product may seem obvious to you, you need to speak your audience’s language in order to show up for their searches. For example, if you are selling “GPS navigation systems”, a person may have searched for GPS systems. It may not be the most politically correct term (Global Positioning System Systems), but if this is the term everyone uses to find the item you are selling, you may need to consider it as a keyword to target.

3. Know your competition.

Sure, ranking number one for “cars” would drive up your web traffic exponentially. However, what are your chances of obtaining that ranking? Typically, one-word keywords are extremely difficult to optimize. Millions of pages on the web are already well optimized for it, without even knowing it, (unless you want to optimize for kukukabo)

If you are in a very competitive industry (in the internet world) such as gaming, gambling, insurance, and such, you may find it helpful to pin down your keywords to a further niche and targeted level. For example, if you are selling cars in Toronto, you may want to combine “Toronto” with “cars”, or if you are targeting a specific demographic, you may want to include that it in the keyword. You may find that the competition for that term drops significantly, thereby, increasing your chances of success.

By increasing your presence for these targeted key terms, you are in a better position to optimize for keywords that are more ambitious in the future.

4. Using the right tools.

By no means, are the following the only tools you should use. They are some popular free keyword research tools that are simple, straightforward, and ideal to help you get started in keyword researching.

Overture Keyword Selector Tool

- Type in your keyword and it will show you some popular related searches and its search volume during a one-month period

- Be cautioned however that the words within each key phrase are rearranged in alphabetical order. For example, if you search for New York Horse Racing, it would show up as Horse New Racing York

Google AdWords Keywords Tool

- Type in your keyword and it will show you the search volume, competition levels, synonyms, and display some useful data for budgeting when setting up your PPC campaign in Google

NLC Keyword Competition Index

While this is currently in development, we are providing a tool that shows you the competition you face for each keyword. This index will help you determine your chances of success at optimizing for each term. The NLC folks here are using it internally and its one of the best things for Search Engine Marketers since sliced cheese. We will provide more details to this tool in our blog in the future, so stay tuned!

5. Snoop on your competitors.

After having a good set of keywords, go ahead and search for them in Google. Take note of the top results, if they are selling or promoting what you are, these are competitors. Browse through their site and keep an eye out for keywords they are using. It may help to view their Meta tags and description by going into the page source code (View > Source).

6. Smooth Integration with page content.

PPC

While in PPC, you have the freedom to target more broad terms and loosely related terms. You must also consider that people who have clicked on your ad are expecting to see what they searched. If your site has no relevance to what their keyword was, you probably just wasted $0.50.

SEO

When choosing keywords for SEO, you need to be much more selective. Remember, you will need to put these keywords on your page, and if you want to do SEO well, these terms are probably going to be in very prominent areas on your page. Make sure these terms make sense and can fit well into the context of your content.

Remember, when doing keyword research for SEO initiatives; do not ONLY aim for the terms with highest search volume and lowest competition. While that is generally a good rule of thumb, you must not forget the main point of search engine optimization. You are delivering more web users to your site, but you will ultimately need your web content to speak to your potential customers. Using keywords that make sense, and are related to your content is just as important as choosing obtainable keywords.

Jason Lam is a member of the Search Engine Marketing group at non-linear creations; Jason has a wealth of experience in everything SEO, PPC and SEM while working with many clients from varying industries.

http://www.nonlinear.ca/pages/search-engine-marketing-toronto.htm
http://www.nonlinear.ca/pages/organic-seo-services.htm

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By Linda Miller

Anyone can launch a new product. Making it take off requires marketing. However, keeping a product above the crowd requires advertising with all the right elements, including effective copy.

Advertising copy can be as simple as a slogan or as extensive as an editorial. The key is not in how much you say, but what you say. The success of your product rests on effective copy that conveys a clear message about the product. With an obscure message, or no message at all, the product will have very little chance of taking off.

Creating effective advertising starts with knowing the key elements to a successful ad:

The Headline

To be effective, headlines must be clear and bold. A short burst of carefully chosen words has the best chance of being noticed, and will convey a strong and memorable message. These words can be intriguing, dramatic, elegant, dignified, silly or grand. Choosing effective copy depends entirely on your target market or audience. Know your market, and you will understand what words will catch the eye and motive the customers to read on. Your headline needs to convey a very clear message.

* Free Offers: Try grabbing your audience's attention with the "shocking claim" technique. "Half Price" and "Free Offer" are often used to get attention. Just make sure that you are able to follow through on the claim. Do not use the old "Store Closing" technique if you do not intend to shut down. This just causes distrust.

* KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid. Alternatively, if you just cannot decide what to edit out of your headline copy, you can always add a sub-heading. Be sure that the secondary text improves on the headline.

* Logo: Every successful business has a logo. Develop a logo and use it every time you advertise. Nike could put its trademark "swoosh" on a blank page of paper, with no other copy or graphics, and everyone will still know it is a Nike ad. Logos are effective eye-catchers and give a company an identity. Once your logo is established, people will recognize an ad for your business before they even read the copy.

* Satisfy a Need: Give customers a reason to buy your product of service. Determine what niche your business can fill, and focus your advertising copy on that area. Why should people buy your product rather than go to the competitor? You need to convince your audience they need your product. If created with discretion, your ad can even make them feel foolish for not buying your product.

* Key words: Highlight important words in your text with bold type, underlining and different fonts, or with the use of color. While your headline is most important, you can create effective copy by making key words stand out.

* Toot Your Horn: Do not be afraid to highlight the features, virtues, and attributes of your product or service. Bear in mind the areas that are most important to your clients. However, remember to keep it honest. If your restaurant serves award-winning pie but lousy coffee, advertise your pie. Do not mention the coffee.

* What is In It for You: Remind your customer of unique benefits you can provide. Tell them about free bonuses, money back guarantees, time-limited offers, or special discounts to customers. Use incentives to stretch the pulling power of your ad.

* Keep it Short: Use short sentences. Try sentence fragments. These get attention. Fewer words work with skim readers.

* Awesome Adjectives: Use attention-grabbing adjectives to your advantage, but stay away from over-used phrases and clichs. Terms like unbelievable, super, ultra, astonishing, and incredible are not that special anymore. Stay away from clichs as well. Intelligent readers feel annoyed and patronized when faced with statements like "You don't' want to miss this sale."

Graphics

Effective advertising achieves the right balance of clever copy and eye-catching graphics.

* Photography: If a picture tells a thousand words, make sure the photograph or illustration you choose puts your product in its best possible light. Provide a high-resolution photo or a professionally created illustration. Make sure your audience gets a clear image of your product, or is intrigued enough to find out more information.

* Proof: If your ad is making a claim about quality, back it up. Use colorful charts, graphs, and other details to support your claim, and satisfy any lingering doubts in your readers' minds.

Other Elements of Effective Copy

* Contact Information: Invite customers to act. Let them know where they can find your product. Provide a website, telephone number, address or retail outlet. Do not assume that people will know where to find you.

* Disclaimer: This is usually located at the bottom center or the bottom right hand of the page. Disclaimers cover the legal aspects of your advertising claims, such as "some conditions apply" or "limited time offer". You will likely want to use a smaller font size for the disclaimer, but do not make it so tiny that it looks like you have something to hide.

* White Space: Sometimes a message that reads loud and clear can say almost nothing at all. White space can be extremely eye-catching, because other advertisers cram as much copy as possible into an ad. Advertisers in traditional media have used white space as a marketing tactic for many years, and now the trend is shifting to Internet advertisers. Allowing ample white space makes your ad easier to read and infinitely more effective.

The first step to making a sale is selling your product. Effective copy and smart advertising techniques are essential in getting attention and establishing an audience. Include the key elements in your advertising, and increase your chances of success.

Linda Miller contributes to several web sites, such as http://wetid.com and http://nugoz.com

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By Wayne Van Dyck

There are plethoras of things you can do online and you should know how to do this. MARKET YOUR OWN BUSINESS ONLINE!

Now with the incredible power of the Online World to reach millions of people, online marketing is definitely an amazing tool every business should utilize. The simple fact is that advertising can be very low cost and sometimes even practically free. The ability to get the results of thousands of dollars in free publicity is practically unheard of in the business world today. Only recently have more and more people figured out how to utilize the ever-exploding online world to market their business ventures.

There probably is not a business in existence that would not benefit from free publicity! Properly utilizing free and low cost advertising raises net profits to unbelievable levels! Using any or all of the major online services can help you market your business efforts.

Let us begin with plain advertising. For example, on AOL, they will let you place classified advertisements free! They have a variety of classifications and categories to choose from. By placing some of these free ads, you can generate some quality leads that can turn into sales. If you are an excellent marketer, you could sell something straight from your free ad.

Other services offer free advertising from time to time. When they do charge for classified ads it is usually a very low cost, and they still are a great deal, considering how many people may see them. When you place any ads, you should always "track" your ads. This means put something in each individual ad that will tell you, if you get any business from it, which ad it came from. This way, you will probably find that some sections are better producers than others are, and you will want to concentrate on these sections and not the ones that were not making any money.

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

If you do not track exactly which ads are making money, then you are wasting your time by continually placing ads in "loser" categories that do not provide any sales. ALWAYS keep track of every ad you place. Make a note of what it said, where, and when it was placed. You will be pleasantly surprised when you analyze your "ad data" and see some positive trends developing. Just repeat these trends and it will help you to make more money!

Would you like to have a name list of several hundred (or even a thousand) people who might be interested in the particular product or service you are selling based on their jobs or interests? That would be great!? Well, you can! Moreover, the Online Services supply this service as a part of your regular membership.

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

The bottom line is that you "test" and record the results of your Online Marketing efforts. Then just repeat the steps that are making you money and expand on them to reach more people. You should conduct split testing on your site. Methods were, you have two different pages, performing the same function but with different copy, so you can tell which one is converting better.

You will also find hundreds of articles on the World Wide Web. By searching one of the WWW search engines like Webcrawler, you can find all the information you can read. Use search strings such as: "online marketing", "internet advertising", "selling online", and so on.

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

Wayne Van Dyck is a former venture capitalist and builder of offline technology companies. He is the founder and developer of Simple Money Machines. Simple Money Machines is all the money making technologies in one, easy-to-use, hosted application… enabling non-technical people to set up online businesses in less than 30 minutes. It is made for people with 9-5 jobs, retired folks, stay-at-home moms and college students. To get a FREE copy of "STARTING A HOME BUSINESS MADE SIMPLE", go to: http://tinyurl.com/ykyoqx.

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By M.Planet Lubowa

Every successful online marketer says this is the bar-none, top-of-the-list, number one-way to guaranteed success for any online venture.

What is it?

Any marketer knows that nothing beats word of mouth advertising. It is simply the most powerful and cost effective advertising ever known. Even before the days of the Internet, word of mouth advertising got every business where it is today.

Many entrepreneurs never have and never will spend money on advertising. Their entire business comes from people telling other people about their product or service. Could you imagine never spending money on advertising, but always having a steady stream of customers on your doorstep begging for your product or service?

This word of mouth is what we call viral marketing.

However, word of mouth does not come easily. There is one catch to running a business only on word of mouth advertising. You must be selling an outstanding product or service. If you sell crap, the only word of mouth advertising you will have is negative.

I am sure you have heard the expression before. A satisfied customer will tell three people about your product or service, an unsatisfied customer will tell ten.

If your customers are not happy, you will have to work ten times harder and spend more money on advertising to sell your product.

You can benefit from positive word of mouth two ways. These are:

1. It is free advertising. This is self-explanatory. The less you have to spend on advertising, the more money you can put in your pocket and back into your business.

2. People are endorsing your product or service. Having someone endorse your product puts you at a greater advantage. When someone tells their friend about the positive experience they have had with your product, there is instant trust. People trust their friends. If a friend says your product is it, they will instantly trust you. Trust is a huge barrier to break down when it comes to selling anything, online or off.

The one way I have found to work well with positive word of mouth is list building. List building by referring ten people from your own efforts, and then these ten will go on to build your list up, to a big size.

To give you an idea of how powerful word of mouth advertising can be in helping you to build your list, look below. Your list can grow exponentially without you ever even having to lift a finger again. This is a completely new way to LEVERAGE your efforts into a MEGALIST of monstrous proportions!

Let us say you enroll SEVEN people from your paid advertising or any other form of advertising. Seven is still conservative for a completely FREE program... In addition, let us say each of those seven told seven people and enrolled them and each of those enrolled seven people and so on…

That would look like this:

YOU
1x7 Members =7
7x7 Members =49
49x7 Members =343
343 x7 Members =2,401
2,401x7 Members =16,807

TOTAL: 19,607 Members

That is 19,607 subscribers you get to mail to! In addition, you only referred seven subscribers yourself!

Want to run the example with 10 referrals each? (That would be a whopping 111,110 subscribers!) Or 20? I will not even do the math on that one, because frankly, you would not believe the numbers!

You get the idea. More and more people just keep learning about your business all through friends and associates. And it is all free advertising!

If you think, the above numbers are a bit of an overstatement think again. Go to http://Google.com right now and do a search on Autoresponder Magic. Autoresponder Magic is an eBook that was written by Yanik Siler several years ago. More than 80,000 web sites advertise his Ebook on their sites right now FREE!

When Yanik started out several years ago, he did not even know what an Ebook was. Today he has more traffic coming to his site in a day than most web sites do in a lifetime.

That is how powerful viral marketing is. Do not skimp on using it. You can set up your viral marketing system to build your list by using ebooks, writing free articles and others.

Visit Lubowa. M. Planet viral Internet marketing websites. For Marketing Visit: http://www.conqueryourniche.com/forum/planetlubs For List Building visit: http://www.most-important-marketing-tools.com/marketing.html For 127 marketing software visit: http://www.most-important-marketing-tools.com.

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By Clarence Binayu

The humdrum existence of going to the office, day after day, doing the usual 8 to 5 shift, is a trying task for those who have lived all their lives doing so. This is why the convenience of doing work at home under amazingly flexible working hours is a dazzling prospect. Doing work at home is as fulfilling as having a career working for a computer on the 19th floor of a skyscraper is already a possibility in these modern times. This is because the jungle-like network that is the Internet has given birth to a business that has given some people practically new lives.

This particular business allows people to work at home under flexible working hours without a boss screaming at you, no one putting pressure on everyone about the deadline at hand, or the clutter of messy paperwork that needs completion, at the soonest possible moment. Those who are into affiliate marketing, experience these conveniences, the newest way to earn money without having to go through all sorts of routines found in regular employment.

Those who have been in the business long enough can attest to the fact that it is a lucrative business indeed, one that can actually give people things they could not possibly possess or experience under ordinary circumstances.

The business called affiliate marketing involves an affiliate’s promotion of a merchant’s website. The website owned by the affiliate advertises and markets the website of the merchant through the affiliate program that they run. Whenever someone clicks on the merchant’s website, it promotes the one owned by the affiliate; the affiliate receives a commission. This is in recognition of his effort to help the merchant make a sale.

The system involved in affiliate marketing seems easy, but it also takes a lot of diligence and perseverance for one to be able to penetrate it thoroughly. Those who want to get into this type of business should possess the necessary skills to be able to tread through the industry with confidence and self-assurance. Another factor one needs to be able to break in is knowledge. Knowledge about this business is very important as it dictates the actions taken by people who are into it.

The leading figure in affiliate marketing is the super affiliate. He or she is an e-mail marketer who collects large databases of e-mail addresses through newsletters. Super affiliates are those who know the business better than the affiliate managers because of their knowledge about the affiliate marketing industry inside out. Those who want to be super affiliates should know that becoming a super affiliate is not easy, because it takes a lot to be able to master the marketing craft.

Becoming a super affiliate means having one’s own website and auto responder. These tools will help a lot in one’s facilitation of the business. Building one’s own list is another. Creating a loyal customer base and taking care of it is one secret that successful super affiliates have. Making good customer relations is also important to be a super affiliate to reckon with.

Continuing to market to the people on one’s list is another must to succeed as a super affiliate. Sending out quality content in lieu of ads is an advantage as products market better whenever you provide enough information about them.

Building traffic to one’s own site is also one of the most essential points in the affiliate marketing business. Making one’s affiliate links his own business will allow him to build a strong relationship with his customers, enabling him to market to them repeatedly.

The most important thing one should remember, if he wants to become a super affiliate, is to treat affiliate marketing as a business first. If he is capable of doing this, then he will never have to go back to the humdrum existence of working the 8-5 shift. A career as a super affiliate in the business, which will change his life forever, could possibly take that unexciting job’s place.

Clarence Binayu is the founder and Webmaster for http://www.virtual-guides.com. Here you can find FREE information on many subjects including business, automobile, travel, vacation, affiliate marketing, advertising, internet, sports, entertainment, technology, communication, fashion, home improvement, culture, education, society, science, politics, fitness and health. http://www.virtual-guides.com provides you with helpful guidance, tips and news update, from basic to the latest skills, knowledge and information, about these subjects.

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by David Weeks

I remember back in the mid 90s when I was "in between" jobs, in debt, and broke. My "in between" job status at that time for a period of one year was a car salesperson. Now, I know what you are thinking. Why? My answer...hmmmmmmmm. Anyhow, it happened and as it turned out, it became quite a learning experience. What I experienced as a car salesperson in my very brief career by choice, was rather disturbing. This is by no means an article on selling cars. This is what salesmanship is and is not.

I was in the car business, and virtually taught the wrong way to be a salesperson. When it comes to shopping for a car, it becomes a rather unpleasant experience for all parties involved.

Here is a typical day in the car business: You awaken in the morning, dress yourself in the shirt and tie, on a hot July day in Florida, 100 degrees with high humidity. You get in the car; drive to work asking yourself, why......why..... because you know there is going to be an unpleasant experience waiting somewhere around the corner. You arrive at work getting ready for the morning "meeting abuse", which always ends up, “we are terrible salespeople and we need to sell cars!” Really? We need to sell cars? Ok! After the meeting, we all leave the room with bruises and bumps. We are ready to practice the art of being a salesperson.

For those of you who do not know, when a person arrives on the lot to car shop, he is referred to as an "up" in the car business. Usually, all the salespeople are lined up outside like vultures waiting for an "up" so we can swoop in and turn on the lame salesperson charm. Now, you meet the customer. "Hi, my name is Dave" (smile). Then, the customer replies "We are just looking." Of course they are just looking. By the time we get through with you, you might be running out the door and never look back.

I follow the "We are just looking" people around the lot because if I do not, I will be yelled at by the ‘powers that be’. The potential customers I am with do not want me near them, at this point. Car shopping and/or buying is the equivalent of going to the dentist. It can be a painful experience.

Now I ask the ‘nice folks’ on the lot all types of questions, trying to create trust and learning something about them that will help me sell to them. This is an ok method for the car business, because this is the way it has been taught. Now the problem from the "get go", is most customers were from the ‘old school’. To them, car buying was rolling up your sleeves and get ready to do battle. That is not the way I want to make a living, but that is what it was.

So, what do you really have from this? You have uninformed people at all angles. First, customers come onto the lot thinking their "trade-in" is worth a fortune, and it is not. They did not do research on their "trade-in". Second, they do not know what they want. They want to spend ‘no money’ on a car they cannot afford to begin with. Again, they did not do their research.

As a salesman, another problem is, if you are going to make it in the business of selling anything, you have to rise above everyone else and figure out a strategy to attract people to you automatically without being annoying and pushy from the start. I noticed that most of the salespersons on the lot were not doing anything but waiting for something to happen, and unfortunately, I was one of them. Because I was also unaware.

When I could not close someone, here comes the sales manager thinking he has 'the be all to end all', and that the "hammer them" into the car technique is going to work. You see the philosophy behind most selling in the car business, as an example is, if they leave here without buying from us, they will never buy from us.

However, let us not forget. In the world of sales, let the salespeople do their job by giving there potential customers all of the information they need to make a well informed decision. If they do not buy today, let them remember you and your salesmanship and whatever great strategy you came up with for them to make the buying process easier. Believe me, after they have been everywhere else, they will remember you. The "in your face" approach does not work anymore.

David Weeks writes articles on marketing, personal finance, and network marketing. He also has a free course on network marketing "The 5 Phases Of Network Marketing" located at http://www.the5phasesofnetworkmarketing.com.

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By Michael Fleischner

Okay, so your marketing has paid off - you have new customers. The key to growing your business is to effectively communicate and leverage these new customers into advocates for your products and services and purchasers of additional services.

Do this in a variety of ways. Follow some basics steps to ensure retention. Here are some tips you can use to develop long-term relationships with newly acquired customers.

1. Proactively shape impressions about your business. Whether you are sending a welcome message, making the first contact via phone, or sending a letter, be sure to position you company for the long-term. Often times, individuals buy products without knowing a whole lot about the company where they are buying.

A popular tactic is sending a welcome kit or an overview letter that introduces your company, your values, and the additional resources you have available for your customers including a support email address, 1-800 number, and so on. This lets you control your company's image among newly acquired customers. Otherwise, your customers are free to form their own opinion without any guidance whatsoever.

2. Categorize your customer. Is your customer a high potential? Are they a transactional buyer that will likely never buy from you again unless you offer the lowest price? By segmenting your buyers based on your existing database or known behaviors, you can develop customized communication plans to retain them for years to come. Some communication plans focus on up-sell while others may only focus on retention. Base the communication plan you implement on the proper categorization of your customer.

3. Show your thanks. Once you have acquired a customer, do not forget to thank them. This may seem