Saturday, March 29, 2008

When Networking Events Feel Like A Drag

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 Mark Silver



Going to networking events is kinda one of those things you are 'supposed' to do for your business. Some people love'em, some people hate'em. But, the truth is, especially for a new business, making face-to-face and heart-to-heart contact with people is incredibly powerful.

Unfortunately, networking events can seem like pretty gross, low-energy, artificial affairs, with people glad-handing left and right, and business cards so thick in the air you can't even see where the complimentary bottled water is.

Let's take another look at networking, and see if we can find the heart in it, so that your business can actually benefit without you feeling yucked out.

The truth about networking.

What is a 'network'? According to the Oxford American Dictionary, a network is "a group or system of interconnected people or things."

If you're thinking of a networking meeting as a smash-n-grab raid, where people are just out to get immediate business, with all the friendliness of a shark tank... well, that's not really what a network is.

Spiritually, everything is connected. We are all One. As we see in the ecosystems around us, everything depends on everything else to really thrive. No one is an island.

Networking, from the heart, is really about discovering who else is a part of your business' ecosystem. Who are the close friends and colleagues, and who are the more distant acquaintances, each of which is still saying "attagirl/boy" rooting you and your business on.

Going to networking meetings isn't about getting a new client right then and there (although that does happen.) It's about creating a long-term support network for your business.

Hmmm... kinda strange... can that really be true?

Oh, yes it can. But only if.

Bring your authentic intention.

Instead of thinking you need to have just one single intention for every networking event you go to: "Must make valuable contacts," what if you could just be authentic? And I don't mean floppy authentic, meaning you show up and cry on everyone's shoulder (although I wouldn't rule that out.)

What if you could identify your true heart needs/emotional state, and show up with an intention that fit where you were?

You want a 'fer instance?' Okay, here's a fer instance.

Fer instance:

Wow, I'm feeling a little tender today, and I'm needing to not feel so alone. I'll go to that meeting with the intention of finding 2-3 people and asking their advice and feedback.

Another? Sure. Fer instance:

I notice I'm feeling a little low energy and shy, and I'm needing some depth. I'll go to the meeting with the intention of finding just one person to have a real conversation with about something important, business or not.

It could even be like this. Fer instance:

I'm feeling kinda energetic and adventurous, and the networking meeting seems not exactly my cup of tea. But, I'll go with the intention of finding 2-3 people who might be 'adventure buddies' to go with me to check out the wildflowers by the river at the park.

But that's not business networking.

Oh, yes, it is. You can find people that you have an authentic connection with, without betraying your emotional state to try to be in 'networking mode.' You can be your real self, and build trust with them.

And I bet you quite naturally end up telling each other about your businesses. And with that trust established at a deeper, more authentic level, there's a much better chance that they'll refer potential clients to you.

Is there more to it than that? Well, sure, there's always more. Let me share a couple of tips with you.

Keys to Heart-Centered Networking.

* Don't go for clients, go for referrals.

If someone you meet at a networking event is a potential client, they'll self-identify, or it will become obvious during a conversation.

So, take the pressure off you and them, and instead look for people to whom you would refer clients, and who would refer clients to you, too.

* Find your genuine curiosity in humanity.

The other person is a human being. Ask them questions about themselves. Ask questions about their business, about their family, about anything that's genuinely interesting to you.

And listen. Asking and listening seem like no-brainers, but when you get into 'networking mode' when you're only focused on 'getting business' it can be easy to forget to connect and learn about the person in front of you.

* Backend. Backend. Backend.

Networking is about building a long-term connection with people, not about immediate gratification. So, do yourselves a favor and get a good contact manager that will help keep track of the people you meet, and remind you to send thank you cards and 'nice to meet ya' emails.

I'm horrible at sending cards and emails- but if the contact manager 'bing' pops up in my face with a task to send an email or a card, I'll do it. Make it easy.

I have a favorite contact manager myself, and it's web-based. It's by a company called 37 Signals, and it's called Highrise: http://www.highrisehq.com

I happen to like it because it's web-based. Which means that our assistant can access it, and support me with tasks really easily. And I can access it even from a hotel while at a conference, or other event.

Networking can be fun, and it can fit who you are. You don't have to leave yourself at the door to have networking benefit your business, and your heart.

Oh, and one more resource: Biznik

You know, I've been thirsting for a real way for online and in-person networking to really work together. It rarely does. And yet, it can, and does, on Biznik.

Biznik is specifically for indie business owners, with this tagline: "Business networking that doesn't suck." How great is that?

I've been really impressed with the quality of the people there, and I've met the co-founders, Dan and Lara, and they are very cool, all about supporting people to get what they need.

I wrote a blog post about it, come and read it.

Or check Biznik out directly. (This is not an affiliate link. It does keep track of how many people I've sent their way, but I get no financial compensation whatsoever.

The best to you and your business,

Mark Silver


About the Author:
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line. He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the globe succeed in business without losing their hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online: http://www.heartofbusiness.com


5 Top Secret Techniques To Make Your Adsense Website Stick

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2006-2008 Alan Cheng



Without a doubt you need traffic to your Adsense website since your income from Google depends on it.

It's the problem which most people have problems with. If you can make your visitors stick to your website then the traffic you create should accumulate - problem solved.

Making that traffic return is the major challenge and one of the so called "secrets" of build a successful Adsense website.

What is better than having visitors continuing to return to your website, without any effort on your part? You definitely need to make your Adsense website sticky and below are my 5 tips to achieve this.

1. Have good, interesting content. This is the one of the main reasons why I favour blogs advertising Adsense. You can easily write content and update it on your website.

It's much easier updating a blog than a website. Unless of course, your website has a content management system (CMS) like a blog.

People browse on the internet to read content. So if the information provided by you is good and it is updated on a regular basis, the user will bookmark your site and will return. Even possibly a few times a week to read your content.

2. Having a newsletter subscription or a mini course sign up form on the front of your website. Once visitors sign up to your form, they are on your email list.

You can use an autoresponder to follow up with them and also email to notify them that your content is updated.

Having your visitors go on your email list will remind them of your existence so that they visit you again. However, you have to make sure that your mini-course provides good content so they will read it.

You can see how I do this with my 7 part mini-course by sending a blank mail to my autoresponder at ne-mini@onlinemoneymachine.com This is my step-by-step mini-course on making money with Adsense.

3. Having a forum on your website. With good content you will attract interested visitors to your website. These visitors love to share and discuss what they are passionate about.

A forum will act as a regular gathering place for them which means repeated visits and also increase in Adsense clicks.

4. Announcing upcoming events. In your content, you should always specify what is coming up in the next few days. Such as updated report on your particular niche.

This will increase the visitor's awareness of your website and they will remember to visit your website again sometime in the future to check out what you mentioned before.

This is a very powerful technique to build repeat visitors and it only requires a mention of what is coming in the next few days.

5. The last technique to ensure repeat visitors is to have a schedule of the updates to your website and stick to it. If your blog advertising Google Adsense is rarely updated, the chances of the visitor coming back is near zero.

People love reading good content but if they return and find that your content is the same they will rarely return. The reason is because they have a lot of other choices. The web is so clickable, you've got to get their attention.

If you stick to having updates on regular basis such as once in 2 days, then the visitor will return to read the latest on your website.

This concludes the 5 ways to having a sticky Adsense website. The best thing is to implement all 5 techniques to your website. Getting traffic is not an easy thing so make sure the traffic is your regular customer. A regular customer gives you business which in this case is Adsense income.


About the Author:
Alan Cheng is the author of Adsense Blogger http://www.adsense-blogger.com/?5 where his views, findings and tips on Adsense are discussed and shared with his loyal readers.


Friday, March 28, 2008

Selecting Between a 401(k) And 403(b) For a Nonprofit

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2007-2008 Daniel Lamaute



Newly released IRS regulations impose several new requirements and fiduciary responsibilities on employers with 403(b) plans. While the regulations generally don't take effect until January 1, 2009, there are some provisions that apply sooner. The new rules may substantially increase the paperwork, cost of administration, and potential liabilities of sponsoring a 403(b) plan, according to the retirement plan specialist at Lamaute Capital, Inc. Thus, now may be a good time for some nonprofits to look at updating their 403(b) plan or even consider switching altogether to a 401(k).

The 403(b) is a retirement plan for non-profits only. By contrast the 401(k) can be used by both non-profit and for-profits institutions. But, many non-profits only considered the 403(b) when they set-up their retirement plan because they thought that 1) they qualified only for a 403(b), 2) it would minimize their administrative requirements, 3) it was the only plan that let contributions come solely from the employees, and/or 4) they could maintain the 403(b) with little to no cost to the employer.

The new regulations may make the 403(b) more burdensome and expensive to maintain than a 401(k). Among the new 403(b) requirements are that the plan must be in writing and contains all the terms and conditions for eligibility, limitations, and benefits under the plan. The consequences of not meeting the new regulations can be severe since all 403(b) contracts purchased for an employee by an employer must be treated as a single contract. As a result, if a contract fails to satisfy certain Section 403(b) requirements, then generally not only that contract but also any other contract purchased for that individual by that employer would fail to be a contract that qualifies for tax-deferral.

It is possible for an employer to have a 401(k) that operates with employee contributions only, and has minimal administrative burdens at a low in cost. The 401(k) is a widely popular plan and typically comes bundled with:

  • Pre-approved prototype plans.
  • Good software and support materials.
  • Participant retirement investment education.


    About the Author:
    Lamaute Capital is offering a free assessment of how the new regulations may affect your 403(b) plan, and they will prepare a free 401(k) plan proposal for your comparison. The firm can be reached at 202-726-1662 or www.InvestSafe.com

    By Daniel Lamaute of Lamaute Capital, Inc. http://www.InvestSafe.com


  • List Building - The Two Key Elements You Must Have

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Titus Hoskins



    One of the most important factors to online success is list building. No matter what goals you're pursuing with your online activities, building a good healthy contact list is vital for a successful outcome.

    List building plays a major role in developing good relationships with your site's customers, clients and visitors. It can be used to get more traffic, leads and sales for your site or business.

    For these reasons contact building should be high on your list of priorities when you're marketing or promoting on the web. Fortunately, list building is an easy process that any site or webmaster can quickly set-up as long as you understand two simple, yet well-proven principles of list building.

    To be really successful, your list building must incorporate these two key elements. Without these two main ingredients you will probably find building your contact list difficult and slow going. So it is worth your while to fully understand and utilize these two factors in your list building.

    Any list should have these two key elements:



    1. Value

    Your list should have value. It should offer something valuable to the one subscribing. It should offer important information, quality content, special deals/discounts, and more importantly, it should offer a valuable relationship or connection to an expert in the subject area of the list.

    Subscribers join a list for the benefits it will bring them, whether it be valuable content, special deals or a connection to an expert in their area of interest; your list must have value for the subscribers. They must benefit from joining your list.

    If you're building a list, just write down all the benefits someone would receive from joining your site or list.

    - receive important information - get special valuable content - receive special deals/discounts - get training videos/workshops - get timely announcements or news

    Make these benefits your main selling points when you're building your list. Don't forget there may also be a psychological reason for joining your list - many people like being part of a group or membership site. It's human nature, we all want to be emotionally involved with certain topics or causes, so don't ignore this aspect when building your list. Everybody likes to feel included - lists can fulfill this emotional need.

    Simply give your subscribers something of value and you will build your list quickly and easily.





    2. Free

    Whatever you offer - make sure it is Free. The quickest way to build any list is to give away free valuable content, information, videos, reports, ebooks, discounts, prizes... everybody loves a free gift. Just make them an offer they can't refuse.

    Some marketers argue that giving away free items will attract the "wrong kind" of customer or subscriber - people that will never buy anything because they will expect it to be free. But this has more to do with the nature of your gift and the kind of contacts you're building - giving away free buying guides on how to purchase real estate, fast cars, LCD TVs, laptops... will definitely attract the right "buying customer". If you're into selling, you just have to adjust your marketing to incorporate the free element correctly.

    Besides, giving away something free is the first step in starting an ongoing relationship with your subscribers. It gets the ball rolling. It is one of the most effective ways to build your list quickly and easily. Just make sure you're giving away something of value to the person receiving it and they will turn to you, time and time again, to find what they're looking for on the web.

    So the next time you're building a contact list make these two key elements the center of your activities. Just remember "give them value and make it free" and you should have no problems with list building.


    About the Author:
    EXPLODE YOUR SALES by building your OWN OPT-IN LIST! Get a Step-by-Step Guide that will show you How to Start, Build and Manage your OWN HUGE Opt-In List! Click Here: List Building eCourse Or Our List Building Toolkit: List Building The author is a full-time online marketer and has used list building to produce a very comfortable online income.

    Copyright (c) 2008 Titus Hoskins. http://www.bizwaremagic.com This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.


    Why People Fail To Get Results From Their Marketing

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2007-2008 Fraser J. Hay



    Why do people not get results from their marketing?

    4 Common reasons...

    Verbal Programming

    They suffer from negative conditioning by family, friends, peers, associates, and suppliers who have all tried some form of marketing and communicated their poor results. We remember them. We don't forget them. We dwell on them. These negative memories leave long last memories and affect our "Marketing Blueprint"... they contribute to our negative conditioning, they shape our attitude towards marketing

    Modelling

    Many business owners actually model their management style on a particular individual. Many life coaches recommend you model yourself on someone successful in your industry who has created a successful business, or has found a unique and proven approach... why not apply that concept of modelling to your marketing.

    Find a proven system or process that you see others implementing and working, and apply it to your business.

    Specific Incidents

    Remember that one off, last minute ad that cost you £600 that didn't generate a single lead? The networking event where you gave out 30 cards... and not one phone call... The marketing seminar you paid £5K on, and by the time you got home, you'd forgotten half of it, and they showed you no real world examples. Remember the mailing list you bought, with 38% goneaways?

    We remember these negative experiences. We dwell on them. We replay them over in our minds, time and time again. These negative experiences leave long last memories that mould our thinking and affect our "Marketing Blueprint".

    Working with Symptoms

    Successful marketing starts with addressing the real marketing issues that are holding you back now. No matter what techniques or strategies many people apply (even if they are the right ones), they usually fail because they're not addressing the real marketing issues or have gotten to the root of their marketing problems - they're only dealing with the symptoms.

    The same 4 reasons above are probably preventing your prospects from doing business with you...

    What if... they may have received verbal conditioning about you, your products, your brand, they just have received verbal conditioning for years about a negative experience someone had with product or service like yours.

    What if... your prospects are searching for a mentor, or someone to model their business, their process, their systems on – and you might be the one they're looking for, they just haven't found you yet.

    What if they have had a bad experience personally with one of your competitors, this could have quite an impact on their "blue print" and perceptions of others – i.e.; you, in the same industry.

    What if they simply can't see the wood for the trees, are bogged down in dealing with the symptoms of the problems that you can fix or address head on, but they just don't realise it yet.

    One, some or all of the reasons may apply to your business.

    Your Prospects need to know that you recognise their problems, and more importantly, you need to be able to present your business case and articulate your unique selling point, elevator pitch or core marketing message in such a way that it differentiates you from your competitors.

    As a general statement, if more business and website owners knew the best methods to find, locate, qualify, and convert more leads online and offline, it would result in more leads, enquiries, prospects, sales and referrals, and a greater, faster growth for their business too.

    Many just need a real competitive advantage and by applying simple, proven, methods, the marketing of their products and services wouldn't be a negative experience.

    Wouldn't it be great if each day you generated hungry prospects eager to want to work with you.

    Think of the positive impact that would have on you.

    Wouldn't it be great if those prospective clients converted into real enthusiastic clients that recognise and pay you what your worth?

    They all should. However, quite often marketing could be a struggle for many business owners, cutting corners lowering their price, thus eating into their margin, just to win the sale.

    Believe me, it doesn't have to be like that.

    Successful marketing starts by identifying what you need to do and analysing why people are attracted to you. It's simple. You need to identify what's wrong with your marketing now. What's more, my FREE 3 Minute marketing audit can help you.

    You need to analyse exactly...

  • Who your prospective clients really are
  • The real problems and issues they are experiencing/facing,
  • How you can help them with the solution you have to offer
  • The best way for you to state your case why they should select you
  • How you will get your marketing message out to your target audience

    At the end of the day, you need to be aware of the negative programming that your prospects may already have experienced, the affect it has had on their "marketing blue print" and that it may be preventing them from doing business with you.

    You need to remind them that marketing is all about satisfying needs, help them to identify those needs, and state your best business case why they should be doing business with you.

    Hope this helps.


    About the Author:
    Fraser J. Hay is a multi award winning Scottish Entrepreneur, author and Lead Generation Coach. Fraser and his marketing solutions have been featured in the national press and SKY television with clients experiencing returns on investment of up to 2400%. To try his highly acclaimed 3 Minute marketing Audit for FREE, or for more information on 2500 ways to generate leads, enquiries, prospects, sales and referrals online and offline, then visit http://www.leadgenerationmba.com


  • Thursday, March 27, 2008

    Email Marketing Formula, The Beginning - Get Your Emails Read

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Kimberly Clay



    Is your email marketing campaign not as effective as you'd like?

    Here's what I do for about 90 percent of the email messages I receive: Delete, Delete, Delete... Some days it's so bad, I think my finger's going to get jammed from pressing the "Delete" button so much.

    The email messages get deleted for various reasons. Since I now send email marketing messages myself, I try to pay closer attention to emails I receive but don't read, as well as those I do read. I do this in an attempt to discern what compels me to open and read one message versus deleting another either without opening it, or very soon thereafter. The result boils down to this:

    The Headline Is Important! The Headline Is Important! The Headline Is Important!

    "You had me at "Hello"...Remember that line from the Jerry McGuire movie? If the subject line of your email does not grab your reader by the hair, that reader will most likely delete your message immediately. Period. End of story. Your subject line simply MUST be attention-grabbing.

    Now grabbing readers' attention can be accomplished in a variety of ways. You can appeal to their emotions, sense of curiosity, even their greed. However you choose to do it, the result must be the same. You must command the readers' attention and get them interested enough to at least open your message instead of hitting the delete button without another second's consideration.

    I could talk about email subject lines all day, because this is such an important part of email marketing, but to make this lesson as brief as possible, let's put it this way:

    To be effective, your email subject line needs to be one or a combination of these:

    1. Descriptive – As a reader, I want to know what your email is about before I open your message (see first paragraph above). Using your most relevant keyword(s) within the subject line can be helpful here. For example, if your headline reads "Receive 25% Off Clothes Purchases" my response is likely to be "So," (yawn) and guess what comes next? Delete. But if your subject line reads "Get $25 Cash Back On Your Next Purchase of Elder Berman Jeans", and I'm an Elder Berman customer, I'm clicking that headline!

    2. Compelling - Appeal to me on an emotional or interest level. For instance, here is the subject line of an actual email I recently received: "I Have Found A Great Traffic System". My response? "So?" Delete. There was nothing about the headline that remotely galvanized my attention, much less compelled me to take any action (like actually opening the message). Now, had that message headline read "Discover How To Add 10,000 Visitors To Your Website..." or "Kimberly, Don't Lose Any More Traffic!", I may have been a bit more inclined to open the message and read further.

    3. Purposely Non-Descriptive – In other words, pique my curiosity. This strategy can be a bit tricky. To be effective, you must give the reader just enough information or a "hook" to entice them to seek more, but not so much that they think they know what your message contains, and decide prematurely that they're not interested.

    For example, I recently used this email subject line: "You Can Delete This, But What If It's True...". While I'll be the first to admit that I'm no great copywriter, I thought this subject line was effective for two reasons. First, I was able to take the reader a bit "off guard" by telling them to delete the message. In effect, I was predicting the action the reader was likely to take. But then, I added "...But What If It's True". By including this phrase, I hinted that there might be more that they would be interested in knowing; that they might miss out on something if they didn't open the message. In addition, I left them most likely asking themselves what "It" refers to, in essence enticing them to open the email to find out what the "It" in the email message was about.

    The bottom line is this, the subject line of your email is the fundamental and all-important key to getting your emails opened and read. Are there other elements of effective email marketing messages? Yes, of course there are. But, if you get this one wrong, none of the others really matter. When your email is immediately deleted, your reader never receives your core message, nor can she/he benefit from your information.

    Learn to create great subject lines, and you're well on your way to email marketing success.


    About the Author:
    Kimberly Clay is a successful business woman with over twenty years of experience and success to her credit. She is an online entrepreneur with a passion for educating and helping others to develop online success and create wealth. For more information, visit her website at http://www.GetMyWealthNow.com or her blog at http://www.blog.GetMyWealthNow.com


    Wednesday, March 26, 2008

    Writing Articles That Get Read, Remembered And Recommended

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Mark Silver



    You already know that writing articles will help your business. You know they establish you as an expert, as someone with authority. And they also create a depth of connection and trust with your customers.

    But, maybe you still have a question.

    How do you write a great article for your business? (Meaning an article that someone actually reads, remembers, and recommends.)

    Well, now, that's a mighty big subject. Obviously, there are many ways to do it, so I'll just give you one simple way, so you have something to jump in with. It involves three things: a Keyhole, a Drama, and a Stepladder.


    First, the Keyhole

    When you look through a keyhole, you only get to see a small piece of what's going on inside. And you see what is directly in front of the door- what you can't help but trip over when you do open it.

    The problem you face is that you know a whole heck of a lot about your business- you know the whole room, not just what's visible through a keyhole. It's probably painful to not give someone as much as you know.

    But, think back- how long did it take you to learn all that you did? That's right- months or years. So why try to compress your six months, six years, six decades of experience and knowledge into a five-minute slot?

    For your best potential clients, they are tripping over things that you can help them with- things that are directly in front of their doorways. Pick one of your customers, and look through his keyhole. What's one thing you see directly in front of the door? Write about that.

    For instance, I saw several people in my classes struggling with article-writing. It was the next step for them to take. So I wrote this article- but only as much as I needed to fill a keyhole- just a little bit.

    A great article is a refreshing gulp of water- not a firehouse blasting them over.


    Second, engage your reader's physical senses with drama.

    A drama is simply an engaging story. For an article, obviously you don't want a complicated plot. Something as simple as 'what do you see when you look through a keyhole?' can be a drama. :)

    Use this law of Nature: everything exists in everything else. Meaning use the drama as an analogy to bring an in-body, immediate understanding, and make your point with interest.

    For example, I recently used tailgating when driving a car as a metaphor for the struggle to be unique in your business. How do you be uniquely you when you've been learning from/following the masters in your field? The drama of tailgating, and examples of when to tailgate and when not to, took an intellectual concept about uniqueness, and made it engagingly, physically real.

    A great article engages your reader's physical senses, because 'sitting in a chair' is more real than 'thinking about support.'


    And third, help your reader climb the Stepladder.

    In some ways, the Stepladder is the most important part. So, I'm going to direct you to read about it in:


    Keys to Helping Your Reader Climb Up Beside You

  • It may look obvious... but it's out of reach.

    Your readers may 'get' the point you are trying to make, but if they don't have a way to apply it in their life, it won't really sink in, and they won't get any results.

    The do-ability of your article is critical, because someone may read something and say, "Yah, that's interesting." But it's when they apply what you are talking about that they get something more profound. And that creates trust and connection with you.

    And a desire to get more of what you are offering.

    Whatever concept you are writing about, break it down into a step-by-step process. Or identify two or three keys, with examples, of how Johnny Reader can make it work for him.

  • I say again: Make it Doable

    I know you are afraid that if you give away your secrets, that they won't need you anymore. Please hear me with your heart: it's not true! The more you help people, the more they will want. Why?

    It's taken you months or years to learn the basics of what you do, and years or decades to master it. Take a moment now and ask your heart to show you how profound and broad what you know is compared to your customers. You didn't learn your mastery from a single article, or even 100 articles.

    And your customers won't either. But they will be grateful to know more about the Keyhole. And when they need to see the rest of the room? They'll be coming to you.

  • There are more ways to core an apple.

    There are, of course, other ways to write articles. But this is a darn good one, and easy enough. I challenge you: write an article by choosing a Keyhole view of a subject, finding a Dramatic analogy for it, and then unfolding the Stepladder for your reader.

    Then, feel free to share it with your customers.


    My very best to you and your business,

    Mark Silver


    About the Author:
    Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line. He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the globe succeed in business without losing their hearts. Get three free chapters of the book online: http://www.heartofbusiness.com


  • Tuesday, March 25, 2008

    How To Rebrand Practically ANY Link Or Text In Any PDF

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Willie Crawford



    Sometimes your customers tell you exactly what they are looking for in a product, and even point out features, or hidden benefits, of your existing products.

    If you listen closely, they even show you whole new ways of marketing your products.

    The perfect example, offering a powerful marketing lesson, in our new Viral Document Toolkit, a PDF brander and rebrander.

    Viral Document Toolkit was designed to allow a user to create, or import and edit, a text document, or any document created in the Microsoft Office Suite, Open Office Suite, or related programs. It can also easily handle any RTF file.

    After the file is edited in the Viral Document Toolkit "Builder" specifying which parts are to be rebrandable, it is saved in a special file format (a .vdt format). That .vdt file, along with the Viral Document Toolkit "Brander" is passed along to customers, joint venture partners, affiliate, etc.

    Those that you pass rebrandable files to, open the Viral Document Toolkit Brander, browse to where a rebrandable file is, and then open any file with the .vdt extension. Once the file is open, the program instantly recognized all of the rebrandable portions of the document, and displays them in a table where you can change any of them that you choose to.

    The Viral Document Toolkit software allows you to make plain text, hyperlinks, and embedded hyperlinks rebrandable. It even allows you to designate HUGE blocks of text as rebrandable (replaceable). You can also rebrand hyperlinks embedded behind images.

    One of our potential customer was watching a video of the Viral Document Toolkit which was posted on our site at: http://ViralDocument/Toolkits.com and noticed that the software allowed you to do something ELSE that he wanted to do.

    As he watched the demo video, and looked closely at the types of files that could be opened within the Viral Document Builder, he noticed that the dropdown list showed no only Word, WordPerfect, RTF, etc., it also showed several PDF options.

    This customer instantly purchased the software because he had a number of old PDF files that he wanted to update. These files had links that no longer worked, and even sections of text that were no longer accurate. He saw this as the perfect tool to fix those problems.

    When the customer purchased and began using Viral Document Toolkit, he noticed that his version did NOT offer the option for opening existing PDF documents.

    He became VERY upset and quickly let us know that, accusing us of "tricking customers."

    We explained to him that the Viral Document Toolkit was never intended to allow you to modify existing PDF's and that it couldn't do that. That capability never crossed our minds as we developed the software.

    The customer insisted that he had seen the software show PDF's as an option in the dropdown menu in the demo video.

    Upon going back and reviewing my own video, I discovered that he was correct. Viral Document Toolkit would indeed allow me to browse to and open any PDF document that wasn't password protected or encrypted. If it was password protected, it would open it if I had the password.

    Further digging revealed what had actually happened. Viral Document Toolkit uses the converters, and other "pieces" internal to software already on your machine to identify what types of documents are on your machine that it can manipulate. It can "see" practically anything that's a part of the Microsoft Office Suite, for example.

    The program was also "seeing" PDF converters that I had downloaded and installed on my laptop when I was working on other projects. On several occasions, I had documents ONLY available in PDF that I needed in Word format so that I could update them. These were generally documents that I had created or purchased the rights to change them, but that I couldn't locate the source files for.

    With the converts already installed on my machine, Viral Document Toolkit did indeed have the ability to use the pre-installed drivers/converters to change ANY PDF file that I have except those that were encrypted or password protected (where I didn't have the password).

    This customer has pointed out to us a "hidden benefit" of using our software that we had not even sought to create. That customer had pointed out to us a whole new segment of the marketplace to us.

    That customer had shown us that we did indeed have a piece of software that would allow you to rebrand almost any link in any PDF document.

    It goes without saying that you should not violate copyrights or licenses when changing PDF's. However, an observant customer taught us "How To Brand Practically Any Link In Any PDF" :-)


    About the Author:
    Willie Crawford in an internet marketing with over 11 years of experience in generating massive website traffic, subscribers and sales using viral marketing techniques. Viral Document Toolkit is the latest tool he shares with his visitors at: http://ViralDocumentToolkits.com


    Monday, March 24, 2008

    10 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid When Applying For a Home Mortgage

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Frank Oakerson, All Rights Reserved



    Applying for a home mortgage goes well beyond filling out a few forms and awaiting approval for a conventional or jumbo loan. There are mistakes you must avoid when applying for a home mortgage and any one of the ten listed can wreak much havoc, even scuttle the loan. Let's take a look at potential mistakes and how you must avoid them to ensure that your mortgage is approved without a hitch.

    1. Getting prequalified, but not pre-approved for a home mortgage. No matter whether you are seeking a home that will be conventionally financed or one requiring a jumbo loan, getting prequalified by a realtor is a waste of everyone's time, while getting pre-approved by a Texas mortgage broker is many times better. Prequalification really does nothing, while pre-approval means that you have a loan in hand. Better yet: get pre-approved and have a letter of approval with you when shopping for a home.

    2. Letting credit problems continue unabated. Did you know that you could get free copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting bureaus? That's right, on an annual basis you can get one free report each from Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union and find out what is on your credit report. If there are errors or things that need improvement, you can address these problems ahead of time. For approximately $5 - $7 you can get your credit score too. The higher your score, the lower home mortgage interest rate will be. You could save hundreds of dollars per year with this little bit of extra knowledge.

    3. Too much house, too little money. Perhaps you could get approved for a more expensive home, yet after calculating all of the other expenses in life, you learn that you will be stretching making monthly Texas mortgage payments. Don't jeopardize your future; if you cannot repay your conventional or jumbo loan, your home could be repossessed. Instead, purchase a home within your means.

    4. No rate lock for your conventional or jumbo loan. As Texas mortgage rates rise, you can be assured of a low, fixed rate if you lock in the rate. Imagine getting a great rate only to see it get kicked up a half of a percentage point before you close, costing you hundreds of dollars extra per year! The higher rate could even cost you your loan.

    5. Excessive closing fees. You may be able to afford monthly Texas mortgage payments, but can you afford the closing fees? If you aren't careful, you could pay thousands of dollars in extra fees before your home mortgage closes. Get a good faith estimate to find out the fees in advance of your closing.

    6. No residual funds leftover. After buying a home, do you have enough money on hand to pay for maintenance costs? Utility bills? Other unforeseen expenses? With no cash on hand, you could soon see yourself running up big credit card fees to pay for expenses.

    7. Not using a professional inspector. In some jurisdictions, using a home inspector isn't required. While tempting to not rely upon the services of a trained professional, you may miss an important structural problem and have little or no recourse at closing. Ultimately, by not using a professional inspector it could be one of the costliest mistakes that you make.

    8. Waiting on home insurance. Before you can close on your home, you must have a home insurance policy in place. Don't wait until the last minute to get insurance as you could run into delays that may push back the closing date of your home.

    9. Signing documents without reading them. Don't assume that the verbal agreements you made are the same as the written agreement you sign. If a problem arises, the written agreement will trump the verbal agreement, no matter how well intentioned either of the parties may have been.

    10. Relying on a set closing date. Life happens and closing dates can shift. If you are renting and seeking to move on the same day that your home mortgage close, you could find yourself homeless if the closing date shifts. Build in a buffer of several days to a week to protect yourself.


    There are other deadly mistakes that can occur after you have already moved into your home. Chief amongst them is bad mortgage refinancing where owners leap for a lower rate without calculating the closing costs. You may find yourself eligible for mortgage refinancing but learn too late that with all of the closing costs added in, your savings could be wiped out. Better to make certain that your mortgage refinancing plans are checked by an accountant specializing in mortgage refinancing options before agreeing to a new loan.

    If you are looking for additional articles on mortgage and real estate for your web site or your newsletter, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Reprint-Articles for the best selection.


    About the Author:
    Frank Oakerson is a licensed loan officer #56753 in the state of Texas. I am available to assist you in purchasing your first home, bad credit mortgage, FHA Loan, VA Loan, you name it. At YourMortgage123.com you will find a number of informative articles, mortgage calculators, info on VA loans, mortgage refinancing, stop my foreclosure, and getting pre-approved. Stop by and let me get started on a Texas mortgage for your property today. I have all of the information and tools you need to make your home buying dreams a reality. http://www.yourmortgage123.com


    Sales Prospecting for Long-Term Success

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Frank Rumbauskas



    One of the biggest challenges facing salespeople when prospecting is that few, if any, new contacts become long-term possibilities for sales or networking. This is due to the fact that an initial contact usually ends at just that - an initial contact, and nothing more.

    Could you imagine how much more successful you'd be if you could take each and every cold contact you make while prospecting, and transform it into a long-term connection that remains in constant contact with you for the long haul? Think about it. Let's say you currently make four hundred new contacts per month, in the usual manner, meaning you get a few appointments but nothing more. The first month you make your four hundred contacts and that's where it ends. Next month, you make another four hundred contacts and they vaporize into thin air. The third month, you go through the grind again. And so on, and so on.

    Now, think of what it would be like if you could capture those four hundred contacts and keep them in constant contact with you. After the first month, you'd have your four hundred contacts done. The second month, you'd have eight hundred in your permanent pipeline. The third month, well over a thousand contacts are yours to own. At the end of a year, you'd have nearly five thousand permanent connections!

    Can you see how your sales would absolutely explode if you were able to do this? The good news is that lots of salespeople are already doing it with great success, and you can too.

    The key here is to forget about the old method of contacting someone, asking if they'd be interested in meeting with you, and then dropping them forever if they are not. What you need to be doing is asking for that person's permission to receive a free, monthly e-mail newsletter from you that provides the prospect with valuable content that they can use to improve their business.

    Getting that content isn't too difficult at all. If you are not inclined to write helpful articles about your industry, or about general business tips - such as time management, or how to increase productivity - then you can obtain content for free on the Internet. Just do a quick search for 'Free Reprint Articles' and you will find thousands upon thousands of articles that you can use in your newsletter. And the newsletter itself is not difficult to manage. Services such as aweber.com that I use personally are very inexpensive, they automate the entire process, and they take care of CAN-SPAM compliance by including an automated unsubscribe link at the end of your newsletters.

    What about snail mail? This is effective as well, but the problem is getting your prospects to open and read the newsletter. It's also expensive. Except for the twenty bucks or so a month that you'll shell out for the e-mail service, an e-mail newsletter is free.

    The long-term effects of doing this are absolutely astounding. Imagine having thousands of prospects, in your target market, receiving your monthly newsletter. They will appreciate the useful content you will provide, and the best part is that your name will be constantly in their minds as the only person to buy from when the time comes! By publishing a quality newsletter, you are no longer just a salesperson in their eyes - you become a highly qualified expert in your field, they will begin to trust you as a business advisor, and that is what the very top of the top sales pros are to their customers.


    About the Author:
    Frank J. Rumbauskas Jr. is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Never Cold Call Again: Achieve Sales Greatness Without Cold Calling. (Wiley, 2006). Frank has taught over 15,000 salespeople how to become top producers without cold calling. For Frank's free newsletter, please visit: http://www.nevercoldcall.com


    Saturday, March 22, 2008

    Press Release Writing Tips

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Diana Barnum



    A press release is an announcement of a newsworthy item that is issued to journalists and other media representatives. And it is a document that is generally formatted in a basic manner across the publishing industry for quick, efficient handing across the board of your news by media professionals.

    With regards to the basics of press release writing, here are seven basic elements that every press release should contain:

  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: These words should appear in the upper left-hand margin and you should capitalize every letter.

  • Contact Information: Insert this after the release statement above and list the contact information of the company spokesperson.

  • Headline: This should be written after the contact information.

  • Dateline: List the city of origin for your press release.

  • Lead Paragraph: The first paragraph needs to grab the reader's attention and should contain the relevant information to your message such as the five W's (who, what, when, where, why).

  • Text: Next comes the main body of your press release where your message should develop fully.

  • Last Paragraph: Make sure to alert the reading audience where to turn for more information; i.e. a postal address, phone number and website link. Plus offer something free for them; a report, newsletter or other gift.

    To learn what's hot and what's not in your particular industry, check out PRWeb(r) at PRWeb.com for current press releases. No need to re-invent the wheel. See what's working there and treat the information as a general guideline for your own news format and presentation.


    You can also head to Content Propulsion Lab. It's the place for "Do It Yourself" companies who would love the benefits of a high-end Public Relations firm but lack the budgets, online at http://www.ContentLabInfo.com , a Division of Content Desk, available at http://www.ContentDeskInfo.com .


    About the Author:
    By Diana Barnum, president of Moving Ahead Communications.
    Get tons of freebies, tips and help at http://OhioHelpGroup.com or call: (614) 529-9459. Freebies section at http://presssuccess.com/bookstore


  • Sales Marketing Idea

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Chet Holmes



    So let's imagine that you do sell office equipment and it's your turn to give your speech and the audience is full of CFOs. If you're a little strategic, you might go with something like: "The Five Ways our Office Equipment Can Benefit You." Again, an approach like this appeals only to those who are "buying now," and possibly those who are "open to it," but pretty much 90% of your audience is leaving.

    So what title would have a broader appeal? How about: "The Nine Ways You're Wasting Money in your Operations and Administration." I'm not saying this is going to rivet the executive to their chair, but they're not leaving either. They'll stay to hear a little more. This is also true for an ad with that headline. It's definitely going to appeal to the top two tiers, but it also appeals to everyone in that stadium.

    Everyone is interested in saving money in their operations and administration costs. Certainly every CFO is interested in that and, therefore, they would stay in the stadium. And if everything that follows has some substance to it, you've now taken your marketing and selling activity to an entirely new level.

    The hardest thing we need to do today is grab the attention of the potential buyer and keep the attention long enough to help them buy your product. This approach of offering some education of value to them gives you a significant opportunity to attract more buyers and build more credibility. I call this "educational based marketing" and here's a line you should write down: You will attract way more buyers if you are offering to teach them something of value to them than you will ever attract by simply trying to sell them your product or service.

    As another example, I had a merchant services company as a client. They primarily target retail stores. So in their audience are retail storeowners. If they walk out there and start off with: "I'm going to show you why our merchant services are better than anyone else's," the 90% are leaving as they are not in the market for merchant services right now. So what could you say to keep every retailer in their seats to hear a little more? Here's a great title: "The Five Reasons All Retailers Fail." The tactical executive reading this is already saying: "But if all I really want to do is sell merchant services, than why would I bother with all this?"

    Answer:

    1. Because offering an education that helps the buyer is going to get more buyer interest.

    2. If the information is actually good and useful, it automatically repositions you in the mind of the buyer as much more of an expert than all your competitors. (You're teaching them things about their own business that they might not know.)

    3. If you think and plan strategically, you will find a way to weave that information in such a way that ultimately sells your services far better than you could ever sell them by simply flat-out pitching your product.


    About the Author:
    Chet Holmes is founder of http://www.howtodoublesales.com is known for Holmes doubling sales of every company given to him as a line executive working for billionaire Charlie Munger. He has conducted training for more than 50 Fortune 500 and other prestigious companies and is author of The Mega Marketing and Sales Training Program, Business Growth Masters Series and Guerrilla Marketing Meets Karate Master.

    For more information visit http://www.howtodoublesales.com


    Laughter Makes the Workplace Lighter

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Gail Solish



    Did you know that the average preschooler laughs or smiles 400 times a day? That number drops to 15 by the time people are 35 yrs. old. Isn't it amazing what stress and too much responsibility can do? So who says that work always has to be serious? Work environments where humor is encouraged, tend to be happier, less stressed and more productive. Incorporating humor into our jobs increases feelings of solidarity and cohesion amongst co-workers and provides a non-threatening medium through which an employee or employer can communicate with others. This is the type of environment most people prefer to work in.

    Humor in the workplace helps us think. "Taking time out to laugh can help us to get rid of negative feelings and allow us to better concentrate on what we are doing," says noted psychologist Dr. Ashton Trice of Mary Baldwin College in Virginia. It allows the time and space to put things in perspective; not personalize a situation. When we are feeling good about ourselves and the environment in which we work, our work flows smoother, production improves, generally creating an increase in income for the company.

    Appropriate humor in the workplace is a welcome and tasteful surprise. It is about seeing the humor in everyday situations and having the confidence to laugh at your self. When you tell a story poking fun at your self, it portrays you as more human. Your life experiences are probably not unique. This provides comic relief and invites people to be comfortable and see the humor of their own life situations. We have all laughed at comedians and generally they are commenting on daily life. However it is important to remember that humor should not be offensive or disrespectful to the average person.

    Humor in the workplace is a stress reducer. Studies have shown that humor activates our physiological systems, including the muscular, respiratory, cardiovascular and skeletal. It lowers blood pressure and increases endorphins. This leads to a sense of satisfaction and well being which reduces the possibility of burnout. When we laugh, we feel physically better, lighter and more relaxed. We have the same positive physiological experience when we smile.

    Humor partners with laughter to increase creativity and productivity. This leads to thinking "outside the box," producing more and different products and services, leading to greater profits. Everyone wants to work in a positive upbeat environment. People get along better with co-workers, absenteeism and tardiness is reduced and decision making improves.

    Fran worked at a company where staff frequently complained about many things. Managers were critical of their team members and negativity permeated the office. To counteract this, Fran and several colleagues generated ideas to bring levity to the workplace. This included the smile of the day, humorous cartoons in the lunchroom and beginning every meeting with a joke. When the atmosphere lightened, the negativity diminished and the level of conflict among employees was reduced.

    Incorporating humor in your workplace provides tremendous value without costing a lot in terms of time and resources. Some suggestions are:
  • Exaggerate or understate.
  • Poke fun at yourself.
  • Tell stories, jokes and personal life stories.
  • Use humor to break the ice (start a meeting or presentation).
  • Clip cartoons from a newspaper or magazine and post on a bulletin board.
  • Participate in a laughter club (people who meet for no reason except to laugh.)

    Use laughter and humor in the workplace throughout the day. Laughing with others is a great way to promote peace and fun in the workplace. It takes 16 muscles to frown and only 3 muscles to smile. Which would you prefer?


    Copyright 2006, Gail Solish. All rights reserved.


    About the Author:
    Gail Solish, MSW, RSW provides Executive/Personal coaching to managers, directors and executives focused on workplace development and relationship management. Claim your FR-EE e-course"Unleash Your Potential and Increase Productivity and Fulfillment" at http://www.ActualizeYourGoals.comor contact Gail at 416-322-0029.


  • Knowing The Potentialities And Prospects Of Your Expired Domain

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 John Khu



    There is a feeling of skepticism and remorse for expired domain names and this is true when you consider the low probability of selling an expired domain name for a decent price. However, the fact remains that some of the good expired domain names do possess very good value, while a number of others can bring you unexpected riches and dividends as well!

    Here are a few guidelines and suggestions that can help you understand know the immense potentialities of owing your expired domain:

    a) Increasing frequency of unsolicited offers to buy an expired domain: If you receive a number of unsolicited offers to buy one of your expire domains, then you have a great opportunity to sell one of your domains. It also clearly shows and exhibits that someone is really looking for your name! It is also the right time to fix a good price for the domain on request and sell it off immediately, when you perceive that the selling price is just right.

    b) The nature of the domain name extension: Do you have a .com extension name with you? Generally, a .com will have a higher asking price, when compared to other extensions. A good .com expired domain name will have a good prospect of selling at a very high price. c) The length of the expired domain name: Shorter is always the better! Shorter expired domain name better will be your chances of selling it to prospective buyers. If you have a shorter expired domain at your disposal, you can always bargain for a better price.

    d) Do you have a hyphenated expired domain at your disposal? Hyphens may help you retain the clarity of the domain name. However, they can seriously reduce the real market value of the domain name. If you own an expired domain name with a hyphen in between the letters or words, then the perceived market value will be much lower.

    e) Do you have expired domains that spell incorrectly? If your expired domain name contains any misspellings or syntax errors, then you may find it very tedious to sell that domain. Above all, there are chances that you may get into trademark and copyright violation and infringement issues.

    f) Do your expired domains contain singular or plural wordings? If you have an expired domain contain a singular word, then the prospects of selling that domain becomes very brighter. On the other hand, an expired domain name with plural words will have little commercial value.

    g) Does your expired domain contain prefixes or suffixes? Prefixes and suffixes will hurt the real selling value of your expired domains. Never ever attempt to buy expired domains that comes with a prefix or a suffix.

    h) Is your expired domain name too long? How many words are there in your expired domain names? Shorter the domain name better will be the prospects of selling it. Shorter names will be easy to remember and recall, while it is also flexible enough to type a short name on the browser address bar.

    If you are thinking of collecting expired domain names or if you wish to sell an existing expired domain name, then ensure that you are learning more about the real potentialities and prospects of your expired domain names.


    About the Author:
    John Khu is the well-known author of a new e-book titled "Expired Domain Secret". He is also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is also the owner of the path breaking web site called www.expireddomainsecret.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.


    7 Steps To Creating A Successful Small Business Marketing Plan

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2007-2008 Robert Moment



    Small business marketing is all about determining the needs of your target market and then providing solutions to meet those needs.

    These 7 steps are aimed at entrepreneurs starting a small business and those who want to create a successful small business marketing plan for an existing business.

    Most small business promotions focus on how great their products and services are. Instead, you should educate your target market consistently and start building a relationship that will establish your credibility and trust. It is important to develop a marketing mindset. "Think Marketing" your products and services all of the time. It is very important to consistently market your products and services. Don't fall into the trap of stop and go marketing. Some small business owners only market when sales are down.

    You can't have a successful small business without having a successful small business marketing plan. Effective small business marketing is the way to growth and profits.

    If you're a small business owner or you want to know how to start a small business in the future, this simple 7-step plan will help you understand your business and your target market.

    How to Start a Small Business Marketing Plan: 7 Steps

    Begin the process by answering these questions:

    1) Who -- Who specifically is your target market? Who is your ideal client? What research can you do to find out more about your target market?

    2) What -- What products and services do your ideal clients want and need? What does your product and service do for your ideal client? What problems does your product solve for your customer? What are the solutions that your ideal client is looking for? What is your area of specialty that will differentiate you in the marketplace? What are the industry trends? What type of message will your ideal client likely respond to? What are you ultimately selling? For example: Are you selling eye glasses or are you selling vision? What is your unique mix of products and services? What is your pricing strategy?

    3) Where -- Where is your ideal client? Where is your customer located geographically? Where will you position yourself so they can easily find you? Where are the best places to get your marketing message to them? Will you speak to groups, hold seminars, or write a blog, newsletters or articles?

    4) When -- How frequently does your target market need to hear your marketing message? When are they most likely to buy your products and services?

    5) Why -- Why are you in business? Why do customers or clients buy from you? Why should they choose your product or service over your competition?

    6) How -- How does your customer buy your product or service? How are you going to reach potential buyers for your services and products? How will you communicate your marketing message? How will you provide customers or clients with the information they need to make their buying decision?

    7) Marketing Mindset – Practice mastering a Marketing Mindset and you will be on the path to a profitable small business.

    With these 7 steps, you can take action towards starting a small business marketing plan that targets new customers. "Marketing is about testing and evaluating your return on investment. But it's primarily about helping people get what they want." Master these small business marketing steps and you will be on the path to more profit and success as a business owner.


    About the Author:
    Robert Moment is a small business coach and the author of "It Only Takes a Moment to Score" and the soon to be published "Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service". Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs how to start a small business that profits and grows. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and sign-up for your FREE Small Business Coaching 7 day e-course titled, "Turn Passion into Profit: Small Business Startup."


    Teleseminar Secrets For Explosive Business Growth

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2008 Dan Lok



    Have you ever wondered how to do the following with your list?

    How you can easily get new subscribers, increase responsiveness, easily create more products proven to sell, increase the frequency of purchases, be able to sell higher priced backend products, create a closer and more profitable relationship?

    You can do all of the above and more with well-designed teleseminars.

    But first, lets take a quick look at the challenges every list marketer faces. Perhaps the biggest is finding a balance between quality content delivery and offers. Too many offers, too often, will desensitize your list. Obviously you want to avoid that at all costs.

    You can have lots of fun with teleseminars because you can be creative with them and your marketing. There's a bit of an air of excitement to verbally interact with your list. And guess what...?

    It's goes BOTH ways!

    That's right. Your subscribers, as well as "newer" subscribers, will feel the same way. It's so incredibly easy to get used to the same old marketing rut. Sending emails to your list. No matter how good your email copy... nothing... I mean NOTHING can replace the power of the human voice.

    The end result of just that one thing will strengthen your relationship. You'll be seen less as a marketer, and hopefully your list will be seen less as... just a list of names and email addresses. So you'll have a stronger desire to deliver excellent content and value.

    All good stuff!

    So here's how to immediately add value with your teleseminars and increase profits. By the way... this is just step one with this profit stream. Keep reading...

    You can invite people to attend at no cost. It's free. But you can offer transcripts and audio recordings for a fee. You can even create multiple offers with different price points for them. Lower and higher priced offers for different options.

    Also... you can offer additional, relevant offers at the end of your calls.

    You can really juice up your teleseminar format by creating a series of teleseminars with a common theme. For example, a series of 5, 7, or 9 calls ALL with a common theme relevant to your business and market. So there! Instant profit multiplier with a teleseminar series. And you'll be giving your list MORE value.

    You'll be able to increase your contact frequency with communications related to your teleseminars. Think about it. You'll contact your list to announce and inform about the call. You'll send timely reminders just before and the day of the call. And definitely a follow-up after the call.

    You can still make offers in all the additional emails associated with the calls.

    And... you can still contact those who didn't initially sign-up to attend. You can provide feedback or testimonials to entice. And you just may get some latecomers to sign on. If they upgrade to receive transcripts or audios, then that's only more profit for you!

    You can grow your list by either advertising your teleseminars or with some well-placed JV's. You know joint ventures are powerful. A few JV's to advertise your teleseminars could possibly sell it out very quickly. And that's more subscribers for you.

    What about developing some new products to market?

    You can sell the transcripts and recordings to anyone within your market! You can make offers to your list for those who didn't attend. You can also sell them with PPC and any other form of advertising. Or you can backend them for any relevant product offer. You can even use them as bonus offerings. How about breaking down the series into smaller products?

    You see? You really can get very creative with this stuff.

    Here's some more food for thought...

    Ok, you've done one teleseminar series. You have experience under your belt. You have a completed structure and process sitting on the shelf. So? Do it again, later. That's right! Perhaps you can do it again later in the year. Maybe put something new into it. Add on a little bit to spice it up. Or...

    You can create yet another relevant teleseminar series and do it again! It'll be much easier the second time because you've already done it. Depending on your market and products, you may have room for a whole series of teleseminar series!

    So everything mentioned above can be multiplied. And it only means more profits and more value to your customers. Totally win-win!

    Marketing and growing your business doesn't have to be stale and boring. Just realize there are many more creative approaches available for you.


    About the Author:
    A former college dropout, Dan "The Man" Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to an internet multi-millionaire. Discover how you can maximize your website profits in minimum time. For a limited time, you can test- drive Dan's Insiders Club for 30-days Risk-Free and get $1,165 dollars worth of bonus gifts. Rush cover to: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/testdrive.html


    Safeguarding Intellectual Property

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Kent Jacobson a.k.a. Mr. Success



    Every company has Intellectual Property (technical and practical knowledge) that is a critical component to its future. Your company standard processes may not even identify a method to capture Intellectual Property (IP) or define what IP is. Retention and definition of IP is key to your product and market place profitability; take a look at your situation. More often than not, the IP is isolated in the minds of your technical staff, scientists and senior engineers and tenured technicians. These IP people are not paid to document or capture their intellect, let alone reproduce in an understandable format unless formally queried and reviewed by senior management. Initiate action today to address your company's situation if there is a shortcoming in this area.

    Often there is no standard procedure to capture the IP in a documentation format, thus it is not reproducible and has the high risk potential of becoming lost or worse, transferred to the competition! In today's market place there is a high probability of knowledge networking at trade shows, seminars and technical subject matter symposiums. Do you honestly think every person asking questions is a consumer? I do not think so, wake up or you will loose your IP edge. Don't think this is true, just look at the competitions products 3 months after a trade show, see any similarities?

    Where to begin is simple, your technical director should have a couple of standard process's outlined for defining to the staff what IP is and how to capture it. Most companies have engineering journals that are company property and issued to every new hire, but where this process falls short is in the use and implementation. If your chief scientist has been with the company 20 years, just thinks how may journals they might have filled out in longhand, read any Rx prescriptions lately? The journals are probably not cataloged or indexed that would allow easy identification and research of topics, or even kept in a common storage area or library. It is not too late to start reviewing how your IP personnel capture this technical data. Just ask a few questions to get an idea, it should not take long and the results my startle you.

    If you are paper rich and organized poorly, one method may be to electronically scan the pages into archive database that can readily be indexed, searched and identified. Yes, this method will take some work and possible equipment purchase, but in the long run company IP survival is worth it. You may task you technical staff to organize their own journals, and of course look at the procedures when journals are issued. The first step should be with the issuance of journals and assuring there are formal steps that identify and implement how IP it to be documented and captures so the company does not loose any more time.

    You will know how to best address your situation, if you have a formal method in place that is working great, many companies do not. Do not let the isolated IP become lost, act today, good luck and I hope you are successful in your endeavors."


    About the Author:
    Kent Jacobson, a.k.a. "Mr. Success" is a trusted authority in the success field and provides valuable success information for free through his website at: http://www.Shortcut2Success.com . You can also read Kent's Success Blog to find more success secrets at: http://www.Shortcut2Success.com/blog


    Accountable Advertising

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2007-2008 Nancy Fraser



    One of the most frustrating things about advertising is that it is so expensive when you don't get results and can't sort out what worked and what didn't?

    Advertising online offers some unique advantages, the ability to track how many people respond to your ad, how many pages they visit on your site and whether they respond to your offer once they arrive. You can also very easily test different offers and headlines to see what works best.

    Online advertising is anything from posting to a forum with a descriptive signature to having a skyscraper ad built, a banner or even quicker, creating ads and participating in a pay-per-click program.

    You have all seen Google Ads, the little ads that show on the right wide of the page when you search in Google online, or on sites you visit that display Google advertising. There is a notation somewhere either above or below the ads that say they are by Google.

    There are other advertising networks where you can create pay-per-click ad campaigns; some that allow you to use a few more words, like Quigo and some that let you write much longer ads, such as Miva.

    Since each service has different rules and tools included, we will focus on the best known, Google.

    It's easy to get started; all you need is a credit card. In fact, you don't even need a website; you just need an affiliate link (provided by the product or service you are promoting) if you are promoting someone else's product or service. When you sign up for your Adwords account you will be walked through the creation of your first ads and the associated keywords that prospective customers use when searching online for what you have to sell.

    It seems so simple, and it is except for a few things...like competition.

    Today's online world is pretty crowded so it's unlikely that there will be no competition for the keywords that relate to what you are selling. If there is no competition either you hit the mother lode by discovering something that is underserved online or no one is searching using those words... or maybe they are searching and not buying. That is why Google has a search tool included in the Adwords interface to help you look at how big the demand is, whether its growing or shrinking and how much you will have to pay for each click on a given word to get on the first (ideal) or second page or lower (not so great) of search.

    Google is adding tools to the Adwords interface on a regular basis to make it easier for you to get good results. Google wants you to be successful so you buy more advertising.

    There are factors, other than the amount you are willing to pay for a click, that affect where your ad will show and whether it shows on the first page or on a much lower page.

    This is where you get to practice your ad writing and communication skills. You have to get to the point because you are allowed very few words. There is no room for long explanations or exaggerations every word has to count.

    Google rewards the best ad writers, the best offers, those that get the most clicks, by charging them a lower price per click and giving them higher placement.

    The quality of the page you send people to when they click also factors into the equation. Ads have to relate to the topic of the landing page or you will be paying either a whole lot more or Google will disable your ads if they think the ads are deceptive and misdirecting people.

    Finally, people have to understand what you expect from them when they get to your landing page. Do you want them to buy something or sign up for your ezine?

    If you are clear what you want them to do and they aren't doing it, you have your answer... the message, offer or product aren't interesting the people you are attracting. Make a change and get with it.

    Google provides unique codes for your webmaster to put on your site that enable you to use many of the detailed reporting tools they have developed to help you fine tune your website and your ads to get the best return from you advertising dollars possible. If you decide to take advantage of the enormous opportunity that online advertising provides, use all of the tools included so your advertising is truly an investment.

    It's easy... get out there and make your business happen!


    About the Author:
    Nancy Fraser of Nota Bene Consulting has been helping clients get better results with their marketing and advertising for over 20 years. Sign up for Notable News and get free marketing tips at http://www.notabenemarketing.com


    Friday, March 21, 2008

    Credit Score Essentials

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Accion USA Written by: Josh Pike



    Baseball coaches won't make a player a designated hitter unless their batting average proves that they're able to hit the home run! Likewise, banks and credit card companies won't lend money to people unless there's proof that they'll repay the loan. Lenders look for that proof in your credit score, the "batting average" of your overall credit history.

    What's in your credit score? It's much more than a number attached to your credit report. It's an important piece of financial information that lenders look at when deciding whether or not you are a worthy investment. You need to build the highest credit score possible to prove to banks and credit card companies that you'll repay the money they lend you well. Credit reports are scored on a scale between 350 and 850, and the closer your score is to a perfect 850, the higher likeliness your loan or credit request has of being approved!

    Most credit scoring systems are calculated from all the different credit data in your credit report. This data is grouped into five categories:

    Payment history. How well do you pay your bills on time?

    Amount of debt. Do you owe lots of money on many accounts?

    Length of credit history. How long have you had credit?

    Types of credit. Do you have a healthy mix of credit (credit cards, installment loans, mortgage loans, etc)?

    New credit. Are you taking on too much debt?


    A credit score takes all these categories into consideration. No one piece of information or factor alone will determine your score, just as one hit alone doesn't determine a player's batting average. Remember that your credit score will change with credit report changes— if you stop paying a loan, your credit score will go down. Similarly, if you begin paying all of your bills on time, your score will increase, and you'll qualify for a loan that's the equivalent of a home run!


    About the Author:
    This article was written by Josh Pike at ACCION USA. ACCION USA provides business loans up to $25,000 to small business owners who need financing to expand their businesses: http://www.accionusa.org


    Why Referral Marketing Programs Fail

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Judy Murdoch



    True or False: Referral marketing is the easiest way to get the word out about your small business? The answer is...

    FALSE

    Don't feel bad if you answered, "true." Most people do.

    So often, I've seen someone start a new business, with the assumption that their friends and colleagues would send lots of new business their way. Three months, sometimes six months later, these new business owners are still waiting for the phone to ring. And even if the phone does ring, only a small percentage of those calling end up converting to real paying customers. Sadly, many of these businesses don't make it.

    The owners of these failed businesses aren't dumb or naive. Many have owned successful small businesses in the past or had successful corporate careers. They know how to get things done.

    So what's going wrong? Why do referral marketing programs so often fail to produce results?

    First, business owners simply don't ask for referrals. Often this is because the business owner assumes that others "know" they need more customers. Unfortunately, the folks outside their business often assume the opposite; that if a business owner isn't asking for customers, they probably don't need any! It's easy to see how this dynamic undermines the referral marketing process.

    Business owners may also resist asking for referrals because they think they're "bugging" people or haven't earned the right to ask for referrals.

    Regardless of the reason, the consequence is the same: if you don't ask for referrals, you won't get them.

    The second reason referral marketing programs fail is because when we do ask, we leave it up to our referral source to figure out who to send us. So often, we ask for referrals in a vague, general way ("uh, do you know anyone who needs my services?").

    Asked in this way, people almost always say, "no, can't think of anyone." Why? Because they're running through their mental contact list, a list so large for most folks, that they rarely think of someone specific when asked.

    The third reason referral marketing program fail is because people forget your request. Let's say someone has agreed to send you referrals and they are completely sincere in their desire to help you. Unless they immediately call the person they want to refer to you, chances are that they will forget because they're busy and there are more urgent things demanding their attention.

    Unfortunately, if they don't remember you, they won't send you referrals.

    At this point you may be thinking, "Sheesh, this is harder than I thought, maybe I should tattoo my company logo on my forehead after all," don't be discouraged. With the right skills, know-how, and a little creativity, your referral marketing program can thrive. Read on for strategies that will take the number of referrals you receive from "blah" to "VROOM."

    Four strategies to getting more referrals:

    1. Don't assume anyone knows what your business needs. Ask for referrals.

    2. Understand why people give referrals and, in particular, why they will give YOU referrals.

    Put simply, people give referrals to look good.

    Think about when you are the referrer. Have you ever referred a friend to your favorite restaurant and your friend ends up loving the place? They probably thank you every time they see you and you feel pretty great--like you let someone in on something very cool and special.

    That's why people give referrals for everything--plumbers, realtors, pediatricians, electrical contractors, you name it--they get to be a hero in a small but significant way.

    3. Make it easy for people to refer you.

    To send you referrals, your referral sources need to remember you when opportunities arise and they need to know what to tell the person about your business. For example, compare these two referrals:

    "My friend, Ann is a realtor"

    "My friend Marion is a realtor who will buy your house if it doesn't sell within 90-days."


    See the difference? Which is more memorable? In a tough seller's market, who would you rather refer? If this were all I knew about the two realtors, Marion is the one I'd refer.

    4. Follow up and acknowledge.

    If you assume people don't care whether or not you say thank you, you assume wrong. When you call your referral source and let them know how your meeting went with the prospective customer they sent you, it reinforces their involvement in your success and their ablity to make things happen.

    In addition, sending a note of appreciation regardless of whether the referral works out, encourages your referral source to send more.

    When done right, referral marketing is, without a doubt, the most inexpensive AND most effective way to get the word out about your small business. Although it requires more of your time upfront in terms of planning, developing a strong message, and educating your referral sources, remember that--every dollar--every minute--you spend on your referral marketing program will pay for itself many times over in terms of the high quality new business you attract.


    About the Author:
    Judy Murdoch helps small business owners create low-cost, effective marketing campaigns using word-of-mouth referrals, guerrilla marketing activities, and selected strategic alliances. To download a free copy of the workbook, "Where Does it Hurt? Marketing Solutions to the problems that Drive Your Customers Crazy!" go to http://www.judymurdoch.com/workbook.htm
    You can contact Judy at 303-475-2015 or judy@judymurdoch.com


    Why You Should Strive to Create More Than Just Back Links

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Trey Pennewell



    I read a message on a forum the a while back where a new webmaster was asking for suggestions regarding article submissions to create back links. The person asked how long the articles should be, how many hyperlinks to include, and other questions about article submissions. I was quite surprised by some of the responses that this poster received.


    What Sort of Advice Was Given...

    It was actually recommended that articles only need to be 250 words long and that the person asking the question should include 4-5 hyperlinks. Another person suggested to write a 500-word article and to include many hyperlinks, because the only purpose of the articles were to create back links.

    There is some truth to this... A person could write a short article and get it submitted to many article directories. And, simply generating back links is one way that a webmaster can increase his or her position in the search engine rankings.

    But, writing a 250-word article will probably not result in that webmaster being considered an expert on the topic that he or she is writing about.


    Experts In Their Fields

    Taking the time to create an informative and helpful article will help a person to be considered an expert in his or her field. Imagine for a moment if some of the most famous names on the Internet were to only write brief articles to generate back links. Would Matt Cutts (http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/) receive the recognition that he does if he just scribbled a few sentences here and there? Would Joel Comm (http://www.joelcomm.com/) be considered an Adsense expert without writing informative how-to articles and books for those wanting to make money from Adsense? Would you know or care who Robin Nobles (http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/) was if she did not create in-depth articles about search engine optimization? Would you even be bothering to read this article?

    You can generate a bit of traffic by creating back links by hammering out low-quality articles. But, if you want to be known as an expert, you need to take a different approach and provide the quality information people are seeking. If you have information and expertise that others are unable to find on the Internet, then you will get many more visitors as a result of writing an article.

    If you are looking for more than simple back links to your site, then it is worth it to take the time to write a high-quality article. A high quality article, that is written with the reader in mind --- not the search engines --- is more likely to actually get clicks (human visitors) into your site. This is what separates the very successful webmasters from those who are simply getting by.

    To be known as an expert or an authority in your area requires articles and information that human beings will actually read. After reading this kind of article, a person will think to himself "This author has the information that I am looking for" and the reader will then visit the writer's website.


    How To Succeed With Article Marketing

    A well-written article can be submitted to literally thousands of publishers of ezines, newsletters, and free reprint article sites and can result in dozens and sometimes hundreds of back links for a website. Now, not every publisher will pick up your article, but for the ones that do, you get a back link. More important than the back links though is the number of people that will cite your article, forward it to their friends, and reference it in their own articles that they are distributing.

    These high-quality articles are how a webmaster becomes known as an "authority" on a topic. When you write for the reader and offer something of real value, you will reap the rewards with a huge influx of traffic to your website.


    How To Fail With Article Marketing

    Generalized junk articles that are filled with hyperlinks and self promotion will only result in a few back links, and people who actually read those less-than-quality articles are not very likely to ever visit your site.

    Poorly written articles are also unlikely to get published in ezines and newsletters where you can reach potentially thousands of readers in a single day.

    The worst thing about the low-quality junk articles is that if people do read them, they might always think of you as a "junk peddler", and most people don't buy from people whom they perceive as "junk peddlers".

    As a webmaster, you need to decide for yourself what goals you have in mind for your article submission campaign. If you limit yourself to only generating back links, you will not see the full potential of visitors and traffic that you could be getting to your website.


    A Final Thought...

    An article that is good enough to wind up on sites like http://www.About.com can give you a huge and consistent growth in traffic for some time to come. Articles that are picked up by large newsletters like http://www.SiteProNews.com can deliver thousands of visitors to your website in a day, add to your credentials as an "authority" website, and will create a situation where your website is one of the first places that people turn to for information in your field.

    The bottom line is that if you write for the human reader instead of the search engines, you will be rewarded with many more visitors, and you can gain an authority status among your visitors.

    The choice is yours. You can spend an extra hour or two creating a high-quality article that will be published on more websites creating more back links to your website, establish you as an authority in your field, and allow you to see thousands of visitors in a day when your article is published in one or a dozen ezines. Or you can save the extra hour or two and pray that your limited efforts will amount to anything of real value.


    About the Author:
    Trey Pennewell is a writer for Links And Traffic. Feel free to reprint this article on your website, so long as this About The Author information and all live links remain with the article. If you would like to learn more about link building for your website, please visit: http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com


    Superstar to Superstar --- Can Your Superstar Sales Person Become Your Superstar Sales Manager

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Rick Johnson



    5 Hints That Will Increase Your Chances of Promoting the Right Sales Person


    Finding the right person to fill the sales management role is a common quandary in wholesale distribution. It can be especially challenging when a decision is based strictly on sales territory performance without regard for the specific skill sets required to lead a sales force.. 2005 has been a good year in wholesale distribution with some industries recording double digit growth rates. With market cooperation like that, most sales people are smiling as they hit or exceed their quotas. Deciding on the right sales person to promote to sales manager can become a difficult and risky decision..

  • "We need a new sales manager. Let's promote Tommy, he's our leading producer in field sales."

  • "No! We can't afford to lose Tommy's production in the field."

  • "That's not a problem. He can be a working sales manager and still call on his key accounts."

    Most of us should recognize that conversation but not many of us recognize the fallacies that lie within it. In wholesale distribution, it seems that the primary prerequisite for becoming a sales manager is being the top performing sales person. Promoting our top performing sales person to sales manager simply due to results is a big mistake. Personal experience tells me it has less than a forty percent chance for success. Our chance of success is decreased even further if we really believe that our sales manager can manage the sales force and still be solely responsible for a number of high volume accounts.


    Different Skill Sets

    It is an undisputable fact that different skill sets are required to become a successful sales manager as compared to being a successful sales person. Selling is a profession that requires professionals. Managing a group of professionals with the type of personalities required to succeed in sales is no easy task. Yet, in my humble opinion, it is probably the most important management position you can hold in a company. Sales management holds the key to meeting company objectives. Effective sales management builds the platform for success. Sales people are not the easiest group in the company to manage. If they were they would not be sales people. Selling is not easy. It takes a special talent, self motivation, self discipline, a passion to succeed and the ability to accept rejection. The reality of the situation is simple. The majority of sales people are not managed well. Let's look at some common sales management mistakes to help us develop the list of hints I promised that will increase your ability to determine which sales person at your company is likely to succeed as sales manager.

    Mistake ----- Low tolerance for process.

    Let's face it, there probably isn't a sales person alive that likes paperwork and administrative tasks. However, a Super Star Sales Manager will be process oriented. They understand that success in sales is driven by best practice and best practice is built around process. Sales effectiveness depends on predictable and repeatable best practice. The Super Star Sales Manager will create the kind of culture that negates the inherent aberration by sales people for process, structure, detailed and documented action planning.


    HINT #1

    If your star sales person embraces structure, pays attention to detail, is always current with required communications, documents his action planning process and doesn't whine about administrative requirements passed down by corporate, chances are he/she will have a high tolerance for process. This means he/she possesses a basic understanding of structure and accountability. Everything isn't locked up in their head just because they have been doing it a long time and have had great success.

    Mistake ----- Weak coaching and mentoring skills

    Relationship equity is still a primary ingredient for sales success. However, relationship equity with the customer is quite different than relationship equity with peers, subordinates and executive management. A Super Star Sales Manager will build enough relationship equity with their sales force to be able to provide effective coaching and mentoring in reviewing the sales person's activities. They understand that you must manage activities and measure results. This coaching and mentoring process includes buddy calls, monthly territory reviews that provide support and resources to leverage individual sales talent. This process includes opportunity recognition and pipeline management. What does the sales person have in the pipeline? Can the sales manager provide proactive support and resources to increase the chance of success?


    Hint #2

    If your star sales person is reluctant to accept or seek out help, this may be an indication of the Lone Wolf methodology. Maximizing territory performance requires a team effort. Utilization of all resources and support is mandatory to grow market share and maximize profitability. Look for the sales person that is successful but recognizes that they are not alone. Look for the sales person that shares the credit for success, coaches the inside sales staff, recognizes the contributions of customer service personnel and others in the organization. This sales person has also gained the respect of his peers and is often seen giving advice and sharing ideas.

    Mistake ---- Lack of development programs and leadership skills training

    Leadership skills are extremely important to effective sales management. This is especially true when managing a sales force that leans more to the route mentality, is in a comfort zone, becomes complacent or is focusing on demand fulfillment as opposed to demand creation. The ability to recognize the need to adapt your management style not only to the situation but also to the individual is a key to gaining respect and trust from the sales force. This is a learned skill. Failure to seek out leadership skills training can be detrimental to success. A prerequisite to success in sales management is the ability to recognize talent and develop that talent. A Super Star Sales Manager will recognize talent and is willing to help develop that talent to reach its highest potential. They also prune the garden effectively. This means they hire well but fire even better. Failure to formalize a development program for sales management is a big mistake.


    Hint #3

    If your star sales person is not interested in attending seminars, doesn't listen to self development tapes and hasn't read a sales book in the past year, chances are they believe they are as good as they are going to get. Look for the sales person that is willing to be away from his territory, sacrificing commissions to increase his individual knowledge. This is the type of sales person that is a sponge when it comes to continuing education in the fields of sales. This person not only seeks company sponsored training but is willing to invest his own money and time in self improvement activities. They have a philosophy of continuous self improvement striving to be the very best that they can be.

    Mistake ---- A Member of "The Lucky Territory Club"

    Numbers alone don't always tell the story. We need to analyze each individual success story. Just because a sales territory has performed well doesn't automatically mean the sales person is a star. A ten percent sales growth sounds great but how good is it if the potential growth for that territory should be in the twenty or thirty per cent range. A ten percent sales growth in that territory sounds great but how good is it if the market in that territory actually grew by thirty percent and the sales person was in a comfort zone walking by opportunities daily.


    Hint #4

    When evaluating your star sales person for potential promotion, analyze the numbers thoroughly. Is the sales person the real reason for that territory success? Are the numbers as good as they appear when you consider all the factors? Determine how this territory was established. Is this sales person responsible for the long term growth of this territory or did they inherit it. Analyze new account development in this territory. Evaluate this sales persons prospecting skills. How many new accounts have been developed in the territory? What kind of penetration success has been demonstrated with existing accounts?


    Hint #5

    Look for the sales person that has the ability to think strategically. They are willing to sacrifice personal gain for the benefit of long term company success. (A rare quality). A sales person that may be a maverick and shoot from the hip occasionally but every risk they take is a calculated risk. Their personal objectives for territory performance are in alignment with the company's strategic objectives in relationship to product development,, segmentation, vendor development and margin initiatives. Look for the sales person that has good communication skills internally, one that has learned to listen exceptionally well, a skill that often eludes some of the best sales personnel.


    If you are ready to promote your star sales person to sales manager, pay attention to the hints listed in this article. If your star sales person measures up according to the factors discussed in this article, your chance of success increases dramatically. That means your Super Star Sales Person can become your Super Star Sales Manager. If they don't measure up according to the hints discussed, look deeper into your sales organization for that sales manager or go outside the organization. There is no such thing as entitlement. Remember, different skill sets are required to be an effective sales manager. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for the "Sales Management Success Formula" and "The Key Characteristics of the Super Star Sales Manager."


    About the Author:
    http://www.ceostrategist.com - Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in leadership and the creation of competitive advantage in wholesale distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information. CEO Strategist - experts in Strategic Leadership in Wholesale Distribution.


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