Why Repeat Offers Are the Key to More Sales

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 Judy Murdoch


Last week I attended the Colorado Independent Publisher's Association's monthly meeting. At one point in the meeting I was chatting with Jen, an author who told me how frustrating she found marketing.

When I asked for more details, she told me that after publishing her book, she sent emails and postcards to "everyone she knew." The postcard announced that her book had been published, gave some details about the book, and told them how to buy her book on the Internet.

She got a few nice notes back congratulating her on publishing a book. Sold one or two to friends. And that was it. From this experience Jen concluded that marketing didn't work. Or that she was a terrible marketer. Either way, she was discouraged. Then I told the Jen something that surprised her.

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What Went Wrong?
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I told her that her strategy to announce her book to everyone in her contact list was very sound marketing.

Why? It was inexpensive, she was getting in touch with people who wanted to support her, and she wrote a friendly, informative offer with clear steps on what to do next.

So what did Jen do wrong?

Simple: she made only one attempt to contact prospects.

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Rule of Seven
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I talk with small business owners all the time and this is one of the most common problems I hear.

Fortunately, the solution is simple.

Just repeat the offer to the same audience over time.

How many times? Seven times. For how long? A minimum of eight weeks, preferably more.

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People Need Reminders
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When I say this to small business owners guess what they say? "I don't want to annoy people."

Of course you don't! But unless your product or service is addressed at solving an important, urgent situation, people will not act on your first offer. They may not even act on your second, third, or fourth offer.

This doesn't mean they're not interested in buying from you. It just means they're not ready to buy NOW.

In Jen the author's case, people reading her announcement, probably thought, "cool, Jen published her book, I'll have to check it out" and went back to whatever it was they were doing.

I bet you can relate.

If they stop getting reminders they will forget.

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Keys to Creating Effective Reminders
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#1. Send Offers Once a Week or Every Other Week

When you send an offer once a week or once every other week, you are reinforcing the message over time. Each time they get the message, your prospects are a little more likely to remember and more importantly to ACT.

#2. Add Value with Each Offer

Keeping your offer consistent is important for reinforcing your prospect's memory.

To keep their interest, however, you want to include a new piece of information that adds a bit of value.

For example, Jen could send new, relevant information with each offer by including a section in the email that she could change each time the offer went out.

In the first offer she could included a paragraph about what inspired her to write the book. Over the next six weeks, she could used the section for reader testimonials, to tell a success story, to share information about support groups, and so on.

In this way, she reinforces the offer but keeps it from getting stale by including new, useful information.

#3. Create Urgency

Never underestimate the power of inertia when you create your marketing. This is especially true if your product or service is about preventing a problem from happening or has a payout that's more than 3 months in the future.

How? - Early registration discounts with clear deadlines

Keeping count of the number of available spaces (example, "only two seats remaining"

Remind prospects of the cost for not taking care of their problem (example: if you're tired of losing sales because you just don't know how to talk with prospects)

WARNING: Make sure your urgency is based on truth. If you haven't sold a single seat, don't advertise your seminar as being "75% full."

The message you want to give is this "if you're thinking this product, service, etc will help, take action. I really want you to get the support you need."

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Bottom Line
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When it comes to marketing, once is not enough. To get results from your marketing you MUST:

1. Make the same offer seven or more times over a period of 8 to 12 weeks
2. Add value each time you make the offer
3. Create urgency to counter natural inertia.


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

The Business Opportunity: Global Resorts Network

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 Kevin Opper


When you start looking into the possibility of going into business for yourself, you are going to want to be sure that you are looking into all of your options. Particularly when there are economic challenges nationwide, you want to take the time to consider those things that interest you as well as that you are passionate about doing. However, there's one more consideration that you'll want to be sure that you make: what do other people need even more now than they often have in the past?

If you know that you are passionate about travel - and you understand just how much everyone wants to be able to get away every now and then - you will want to be sure to look into business opportunities within the travel industry. Of course, before you start to think that getting into the travel industry means opening up a full fledge travel agency, keep in mind that there are other alternatives available to you - you just have to be sure that you're looking for them.

For example, not every business opportunity in the travel industry includes helping others to find the airline tickets that will help them get to their destination. Not every business opportunity within the travel industry is focused on providing hotel reviews and helping to book those rooms that the hotels have left - on making last minute reservations. Similarly, not every business opportunity within the travel industry involves buying and selling time-share profits.

Unfortunately, when many people make the choice to take advantage of the opportunities that exist for business within the travel industry, they focus on the big picture of the market. Rather than choosing a clearly defined business opportunity, they try to go it alone. Rather than taking advantage of those business opportunities that allow them to take a closer look at what people really want and to provide those services, they focus on what they think that people are looking for and try to provide it.

When you do not take the time to choose a business opportunity within the travel industry that is all but guaranteed to help you to reach your goals - a legitimate business opportunity that puts you in control - you ultimately will not see the success that is possible. On the other hand, when you know what you are looking for and you are able to make educated choices, then you will find profit opportunities abound within the travel industry.

Don't believe that there is an ideal business opportunity within the travel industry? Don't believe that it is still possible to open your own travel business, to learn from those who have achieved the level of success that you imagine? Don't believe that there are still opportunities within the travel industry that will allow you to travel for pennies on the dollar while making the kind of income that will allow you to leave your fulltime job behind and to retire earlier than you thought possible?

If any of the above questions pinned your perspective down, it's clear that you have not looked into the business opportunity that is created by Global Resorts Network.

With this travel industry business opportunity, you will find that you are able to open your own business without starting from scratch; and you will be joining a business with more than twenty years of experience. More importantly, you will find that you are able to find mentors willing and able to help you develop your business into a real moneymaking endeavor. You will also find that your mentors in this business opportunity will be more than happy to help you achieve the level of success you truly deserve.

Most importantly, when you form your travel industry business in partnership with Global Resorts Network, you will find that you are able to focus on providing something that people everywhere are looking for - the opportunity to travel to exotic destinations, with enough money left over to truly enjoy their vacations. With the rising costs associated with airline travel and fuel, your business within the travel industry will help to ensure that some of the world's greatest destinations remain attractive as ever to those who want to get out there and take advantage of all that the world has to offer.

Imagine the pleasure that you will receive when you are able to offer a service that people want, help them to save money on their purchase, and to help them get more joy from their own vacations, during an economic cycle that most people would consider detrimental to their travel plans. Imagine further if you will the pleasure and satisfaction you can achieve when you able to make a good living for you and your family, while you are providing this needed service to other families, who are itching to hit the road this summer.


About the Author:
Kevin Opper is involved with the Global Resorts Network business opportunity himself, and he is happy to be involved in a business that not only helps people earn a good living online, but also an opportunity that offers real value to the end customer. Travel is a product that people are always willing to spend money. Many people look forward all year to take their yearly vacation, but with the rising costs of fuel, many people are having to rethink their plans. But with this program, we can help people keep their vacation plans intact: http://www.travel-5star-resorts.com

Starting an Ebay Business - An Online Business Model that Works (Revised for 2008)

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2003-2008 Bill Platt


The Realities Of An Internet Business

Millions of people are still coming online each year, and many of those people come to the Internet with dreams of making their financial dreams come true.

The truth is that building a website to sell products and services is not the easiest way to make a living online. A lot of specific knowledge or money will be required to be successful with a standard website.

You must acquire skills - or pay someone who already possesses those skills - in the following areas:

Graphic design

Copywriting

HTML design

Perl or PHP programming

Database programming

Marketing research

Promotions

When this is understood, most people throw their hands up in frustration and walk away from their entrepreneurial desires.

Maybe cash is the problem; maybe the desire is just lacking.

If you have reached this point yourself let me offer one piece of advice...

Don't Throw Away Your Dreams Just Yet

More people than I can count are making a successful living online, and none of them own their own website or send a single commercial email to anyone.

How is this possible?

Two words, "Ebay auctions."

Ebay Makes It Easy

Ebay covers all of the difficult technical issues. And more importantly, Ebay already has floods of visitors eager to purchase your wares.

Ebay has provided everything you need to operate a successful business online with three exceptions:

1. Products to sell
2. Time to list the products in the Ebay database
3. Cash to acquire the products

Choosing The Kinds Of Products

Before choosing your products, you should ask yourself what you enjoy the most. You may enjoy cats, NASCAR or even antiques. You should select products consistent with what you enjoy for two reasons.

First, you bring to your presentation a real appreciation for the products your are offering.

Secondly, a job you hate is one you will quit. A job you enjoy doing will be one that you will want to keep forever. If you are starting your own business, the hope is that you will be doing it for a very long time.

I personally know people who have generated a nice living on Ebay selling cat-related items, NASCAR memorabilia and antiques.

Finding The Actual Products To Sell

I recommend against diving in and spending thousands of dollars buying products that you may or may not be able to sell.

A drop-shipper is a middleman who is willing to permit you to buy an individual product, and then they will put your business name on the return address of the product package and handle the actual delivery for you.

By utilizing a drop-shipper, you can speed product delivery to the client without risking your own cash to keep a product in inventory.

If you are at a loss as to how to get started with a drop-shipping company, we have uncovered three different drop-shipping resources in our research that we feel comfortable recommending. All three approach the drop-shipping market from a different perspective, but any one of them could be essential in your quest to start a successful online business or auction business.

Through this site, you can get all of the information you need to find drop-shippers, who can supply you with over 500,000 products from over 1,000 brand names: http://www.wholesaletradingclub.com/drop-shipping-directory

Through this company, you can gain access to more than 200,000 drop-ship products through an auction control panel or your own storefront website. The company will handle customer care, inventory, shipping and returns, so that you can stay focused on selling products and making money. Their original system has been set up to serve North American sellers, and they have developed a secondary system to serve sellers in the UK. Learn more here: http://www.wholesaletradingclub.com/dropship-biz

This company provides access to more than 1,200,000 drop-ship wholesale products to Ebay Power-Sellers. As the only drop-shipping company to be Ebay-Certified, with tools enabling sellers to easily place products into Ebay, they are a strong contender for any person looking to sell drop-ship products through Ebay: http://www.wholesaletradingclub.com/ebay-certified

Learning To List Your Products At Ebay

Learning to use Ebay is pretty easy and straightforward. Ebay has put forward a lot of effort to help people to become successful and to help you to be successful using their systems.

For example, Ebay has an entire area of their site devoted to the online entrepreneur.

To get an overview of all of the services and tools that Ebay provides to sellers, you may visit: http://pages.ebay.com/services/index.html

Ebay also delivers courses and strategies to help you to be more successful: http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/index.html

The Importance Of Cash Flow To Your Success

Ebay provides tools for both buyers and sellers to rate one another. The speed of delivery is one of the most important factors that sellers are rated on. By providing quick delivery, your buyers will give you a good rating - and more shoppers will bid on your products.

Ebay recently purchased PayPal.com to help facilitate purchases for their buyers and sellers, and they have integrated the two systems together.

Unfortunately, getting the money from your PayPal account to your personal account generally takes four days. Even with a merchant account, the time gap is nearly the same. This time gap expands the turn-around between the transaction and delivery of the product unless you take action to speed the process.

If you have attached a credit card to your Paypal account, you can get a Paypal debit card. Using your Paypal debit card, you will be able to process the payment for your customer's purchase, immediately after they have paid for the product you have sold to them.

If you were doing high volume, you would want to minimize the handling of a transaction to reduce the chance for a foul-up and to increase your ratings within the Ebay system.

But how can this be accomplished?

Managing Cash Flow

While you could rely upon credit cards to get the job done, it is not something I would recommend. Paying credit card interest rates to process your customer's purchase, is an unnecessary burden.

Instead, put a sum of money into a dedicated bank account with a debit card attached to it. When you verify a transaction has been credited to your PayPal account, then use your debit card to immediately process the order with your drop-shipper.

But, how can you do it this way on a tight budget?

The Federal Government To The Rescue

Let me ask you this. Do you have a 401(k) account?

Experts advise that you not touch your retirement savings for anything other than retirement income. That is good advice. Fortunately, it is possible under special circumstances to acquire loans against your 401(k) accounts.

Beginning in 2002, even the self-employed small business owner with no employees could open his or her own 401(k), called a solo-owner 401(k), and borrow from it just as employees with big companies can.

Weigh this option against the others available to you. It only makes sense to take out a loan rather than to take a hit in heavy taxes and penalties for drawing your retirement money early. Seriously, consider taking advantage of our historically low interest rates to meet your cash flow needs.

To learn more about creating and borrowing from a solo-owner 401(k), please visit: http://www.investsafe.com

In Conclusion

It is wise to choose your new business venture based on a model that has proven itself over the long-term. Ebay has been proving its concept since 1995; helping thousands of people build a successful and very profitable business.

The time to act is now. Choose the product line that will give you the most satisfaction and then get busy. Your success awaits you.


About the Author:
Bill Platt is the owner of The Phantom Writers article marketing service (http://thephantomwriters.com). Bill has found a way to reorganize his ghost writing services in order to be able to lower his prices for promotional article ghost writing. His team of ghost writers will create an informational article(s) to help you to promote your business online, and his distribution team will put your article into the hands of ezine publishers and webmasters interesting in publishing good quality content: http://thephantomwriters.com/services/ghost-writing.html

Successful Internet Marketing Without Search Engines

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2007-2008 Bill Platt


Believe me or not, a business can survive and thrive on the Internet without good search engine placement. That does not mean that a Webmaster should not strive to get good rankings in the search engines, but it does mean that a Webmaster should not throw his or her entire advertising budget towards search engine optimization (SEO).

The SEO guys are rolling in their Ferrari's as you read this. I would have said that the SEO guys are rolling their graves, but they are not dead, yet.

There Can Be Only Ten

How many web pages will be listed on page one of the search results at Google? How about on Yahoo or MSN? That is right; there can be only ten web pages listed on page one of the search results.

According to the Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org), there are currently 85 billion web pages on the Internet. But, if you have ever used the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, then you know as I know that they have not archived everything that is out there, so that 85-billion number is actually smaller than the real number of existing web pages.

With only ten listings on page one of the search results, there are going to be a lot of disappointed people in the world. They cannot all be on page one of the search results.

First Things First

Search engine optimization is an expensive undertaking, so it should never be taken lightly. I talk to people everyday who are building their first website for the very first time. These folks, bless their hearts, know just enough about Internet marketing to blow their savings on a website that may or may not deliver a profit to them.

There are steps that people should take when they start their website, and SEO is not one of those first steps.

Here is a checklist of steps that the new Webmaster should use in the development of his or her website:

Step One: Select the products or services that the website will sell.

Step Two: Determine if there is a market for what will be sold.

Step Three: Analyze the competition and determine the competition's weaknesses. Competition is about building a better mousetrap or reaching customers that another might be under serving.

Step Four: Build the website to sell the chosen products or services. Sales conversion is the most important element in any successful business model.

Step Five: Run test advertising to figure out what will generate traffic to your website, and more importantly, to figure out what one needs to do in order to sell goods and services.

Testing And Tracking Advertising Results Is Essential

I sold advertising in my newsletter to a guy one time. He paid a nice fee to have his advertisement run in my newsletter, but he did not invest any money in writing or testing his ad first. The advertisement itself was written very badly.

I asked him if he would like to tweak his advertisement before I ran it in my newsletter. He said he did not care what the ad looked like. He just needed me to run his ad.

I offered to rewrite his ad for him to enhance his chances of getting traffic from my newsletter. He agreed and I did.

As the newsletters I subscribed to began rolling in the following week, I noticed his bad advertisement ran in dozens of those newsletters.

I asked him later his results, and he said he had spent $10,000 running that advertisement and closed four sales at $25 each. He spent $10,000 to make $100. Needless to say, his website closed down just a couple months later.

The problem was clearly his ad, but his website may have contributed to his lack of sales conversion.

Starting Small Serves A Very Real Purpose

As we saw with the guy who spent ten grand to make $100, starting small would have been beneficial. It is all a matter of figuring out how to get traffic to one's website and more importantly, how to convert traffic to sales.

One should start small with his or her advertising to find the ad formula that will actually deliver traffic to the website. Once the traffic is coming to the website, the webmaster needs to tweak his or her sales copy to make sure that the copy will close enough sales to justify the expense of a large advertising run.

SEO should be treated in the same way. By using Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC), a webmaster can get an idea as to which keyword phrases will actually generate traffic to a website, and with the right analytical software, the Webmaster can determine which keyword phrases generate clicks that will lead to a sale. .

Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics/) is a good program to help webmasters figure this out and it is free, but it has its shortcomings.

Popular paid programs include:

http://www.opentracker.net

http://www.keytrail.com

Another two-dozen web analytics applications are reviewed here: http://www.cumbrowski.com/CarstenC/internetmarketing_webanalytics.asp

SEO campaigns should never be undertaken until one knows exactly which keywords will actually generate sales for a website. To do otherwise, one runs the risk of optimizing a website for keywords that will not help the website convert traffic to sales.

Advertising Lessons Learned

While testing your advertising and your PPC advertising, a few very important lessons were learned.

First, you learned how to tap into the Law Of Attraction to bring people to your website.

You have learned what keywords you should target, if you decide to optimize your website.

You have learned how to track your successes and your failures with your website analytical software.

And finally, you have learned to tweak your website for the purpose of increasing your sales conversion.

All are very important lessons, because each will contribute to how much money can be earned from a website.

Building Links Is Not About PageRank

If you remember, the title of this article is, "Internet Marketing Without Search Engines." That should imply that this article is not about getting good rankings in Google. By extension, the title should also imply that what I am telling you has "nothing" to do with PageRank.

The fact is that every person using the Internet is clicking on links to take them from one website to another. Some links are in emails; others are in paid adverts on websites, or in informational web pages. Even social bookmarking websites have links to other web pages.

Building links to your website is about getting your sales message, with its accompanying link, in front of the people most likely to buy what you are selling, in a way that encourages your potential customer to click your link and visit your website.

Once you understand who your customers are and where you might be able to reach them, then you will know what steps you need to take to get your link within reach of their mouse.

You may need to buy advertising at that location. You might be able to write an article to give to them, in exchange for a link to your website. You might be able to participate in the website's forums and leave a breadcrumb trail of links for your potential clients to find. You can even create social bookmarks that will point to your website or to a page that points to your website.

The goal of linking is to give your potential customers more ways for them to find your website.

An Ironic Twist To This Tale

Although this article is about thriving on the Internet without relying on search engines, any person who undertakes linking for the sake of attracting customers will find their websites climbing in the search engine results, due to all of those links on targeted and relevant websites pointing to their own website.

Imagine that --- a link that will attract and deliver potential customers to a website AND influence how well a website might rank in the search engines.


About the Author:
Bill Platt has been writing reprint articles for the promotion of his websites since 1999, and now he has written an ebook to share what he has learned. His book is called, "Article Marketing For Traffic, Sales and Profit". Included in the book are many examples and the Five Essential Elements Of Creating A Successful Article. To learn more about Bill's business, visit: http://www.thephantomwriters.com

Deciding Whether Or Not To Publish Your Prices

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 Mark Silver


Your website is up, your services/workshops/products page is finished. So... do you publish your prices along with it?

If you do, won't that scare people away? If you don't, won't people think you're hiding something? It's a lose-lose situation, it would seem. So, do your clients need to see your prices, or not?

Safety first.

When someone is looking to hire you, in their heart of hearts, they've already made a decision. There is a Yes or No that has already sprung to life, because our inner truth compass is just that certain.

The problem comes in when the mind gets involved. Because following one's heart-knowing involves surrendering control, the ego gets a mite touchy about it. "Uh, are you sure about this?" your client's ego asks.

Unless your clients are all spiritually-enlightened masters, chances are their egos will need some soothing, and the price isn't going to do it.

Well, not the price all by its lonesome.

The question I often hear is "should I publish my prices?" perhaps because money is such a hot topic. But, the truth is, the price only makes sense in context.

"Balloon, $27,390" Seems absurd, until you realize it's an Aerostar S66A Turnkey Ride System- a hot air balloon, with all the trimmings, by Paul Stumpf. (www.stumpfballoons.com)

Price or no price, people will be slow on the uptake.

Unless you give them more. If you just have two or three bullet points and a short paragraph, whether you have the price or not is irrelevant. You're just not giving enough information to answer all the questions churning in the mind of your potential client.

That $27K Aerostar is going to raise a lot of questions before someone buys. It may be true that your service or class doesn't cost twenty-seven thousand gees, and yet if you're asking any significant price at all, their egos are going to need some answers, before they'll let the heart take control.

So, publish prices or not?

You thought it was a simple question, and it is. But the answer takes a little bit more work than you had thought. But, never fear! It's worth it. The little bit of extra work will mean extra safety, and extra safety means extra responses.

So, what's the extra? Let's find out.

eys to Publishing Your Price.

Get help coming up with questions.

Use friends, colleagues, trusted clients: tell them the three-sentence version of your offer. "It's a class about finding work when you've been unemployed, it's a day-long workshop, and I'm thinking of charging $200 for it."

Then, tell them to come up with all the questions they might have about it. Don't ask them for answers. Don't ask for what they want to see in the workshop. Just the questions that they want to ask you before they say 'yes.'

Push 'em to give you some outlandish questions - the ones they're embarrassed to ask. "Should I wear a suit? Do I need to bring a resume? Does it matter if I was fired for bad conduct?"

Now, answer those questions on your web page.

Answer 'em. If they have the questions, then believe me your prospective clients have the questions. And they'll be looking for the answers. Including the price.

And yes, include the price.

At this point, after answering all of their other questions, it definitely will cause more suspicion on the reader's part if you leave the price out. They'll be wondering: "They've told me everything but the price... is there some catch?" They won't want to call you or email for fear of getting caught in a hypey, hard-sell attack.

Your price is your price. It's okay to present it. If it's the right price, you've answered their other questions, and it's really the right thing for them, they'll pay you happily. If it's not the right thing, whether you show the price or not, they won't buy, and they shouldn't.

Publishing prices is somewhat of a no-brainer - you want to publish your prices. But you also need to answer as many of their other questions as possible, or they'll walk away... not because of the price, but because their egos don't yet feel safe enough to trust the heart.

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

SAP HR Training

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2008 David Sholmire


Learning SAP HR or (new name HCM - Human Capital Management) module is not difficult at all if you have a qualified and experienced instructor who loves to teach; If you have the best of material that is geared towards certification; If you have system that is carefully tweaked for optimal performance and if you have an environment that is conducive to total learning.

SAP HR configuration jobs pay the highest. SAP HCM is one of the hottest areas in SAP consulting, but the skills you need to succeed in SAP HR are also changing. You need to have a structured road-map that begins with basic understanding and ends at advanced skill and understanding of the SAP HR module. The topics you need to cover in your SAP HR course need to be determined as early as possible. There are certain areas of the business process which are not applicable to U.S. implementations and therefore can be left to cover at a later date. On the other hand there are topics that must be covered in order to apply for and survive a job. For the five-day course, for your ready reference I have listed these important topics as follows:

Day 1 - Business Processes in Human Capital Management

Navigation and mapping personnel, company and organization structure

Personnel Administration and Global Employment

Time Management and brief introduction to payroll

Recruitment and E-Recruiting

Mapping personnel development processes (especially performance management)

Training and Event Management, SAP Learning Solution

Enterprise Compensation Mgmt

Personnel cost planning

Reporting options

Employee Self-Service and Manager Self-Service

Day 2 - Master Data Configuration

Structures in HCM:

o Company Structure

o Personnel structure

o Organizational structure

Storing default values (features)

Personal data

Relationship between planned working time and basic pay

Payroll data

o Pay scale structure

o Wage type structure

Workflows:

o Pay scale reclassification

o Standard pay increase

Customizing Procedures and Interfaces

o Infotype Characteristics and Screen Modification

o Combining Infotype Menus

o Setting Up Personnel Actions

o Dynamic Actions and Mail Connection

Global Employment (management of delegates abroad and concurrent employment relationships)

Overview: Portal role HR Administrator and employee interaction center

Day 3 - Authorizations in HCM

Setting up general authorization checks

Determining the responsibility period

Authorization objects in payroll

Authorization check for evaluations

Structural authorization checks

Other aspects of authorization check

Day 3 - Configuration of Time Management

Overview of time management functions and how they are integrated with other applications

Concept of integrating external time recording systems

Designing work schedules for mapping planned working time

Time management infotypes

Absences, attendances, and deduction rules

Time quotas and their deduction rules

Automatic structuring of absence quotas

Time Manager-s Workplace (TMW)

Day 4 - Payroll Configuration

Identify and operate control mechanisms available in the payroll system

Personnel calculation schema and rules

Encoding the payroll characteristics of wage types

Check the payroll using the payroll log

Determine rates of pay

Calculation of averages

Factoring

Develop payment methodologies for time-based entries

Account for absences in payroll

Understand retroactive accounting

Day 4 - Organizational Management

Concept of Organizational Management

Maintenance of Organizational Units

Organization and staffing interface

Expert mode

Matrix organizations and general structures

Reporting and reporting tools

Manager's Desktop and Manager Self Service (Enterprise Portal)

Customizing Organizational Management

Integrating Organizational Management with other HR components

Day 5 - Reporting in HCM

Overview of all HR reporting tools

Specific applications of various tools to meet user and company requirements

Effective use and adaptation of standard reports, queries, InfoSets, and key figures.

Creation and layout of queries for Ad Hoc Query and for SAP Query.

Generation of payroll infotypes and access simulated infotypes for Time Management

Outlook on the integration of HCM in the Business Information Warehouse and in Strategic Enterprise Management

Day 5 - Solution Manager

Solution Manager

Solution Manager Overview

Day 5 - Experiences from Implementations (Case Study or Project)

Setting up structures

Integration and dependencies

Post Training Steps

At the end of the SAP HCM training you should get a roadmap from your school that shows post-training activities clearly marked on a time-line. This is very crucial for successfully completing the training. Lookout for the following major things; Complete material for Certification preparations.

Help with resume building

Practice with mock interviews

Benchmarking Exam and

If you do well in the exam then Job Placement Assistance.

About the Author:
David Sholmire writes about SAP training. If you need to learn SAP HR for your job or update your SAP HR certification, or you need to send your employees to SAP HR training, www.LearnSAP.com can help. LearnSAP LLC is a SAP training school that has its head office in Houston, TX and satellite office in New Jersey NJ, Detroit MI, Chicago IL, Minnesota MN, Dallas TX, Atlanta GA, Los Angeles CA, Santa Clara CA, London UK, Mena KSA. LearnSAP was founded in 1998 with the express aim to help individuals make a move to a successful career in SAP. Learn more at: http://www.LearnSAP.com/config/hr.html

I'll Call You Back In A Few Weeks . . .

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2007-2008 Chuck Bauer


Lucky. Yes, lucky. I am lucky that week-in and week-out, I get to sit in and listen to various communication between salespeople and their clients. It never ceases to amaze me how as salespeople we are not aware of some of the things we do and how those actions affect the client-salesperson relationship. More importantly, how our actions with our clients either move us towards or away from closure.

Here is a great example of what I am speaking about. I walk by a salesperson's office and hear this comment when he is concluding a phone call – "I'll call you back in a few weeks." This comment sends me straight up the flag pole and if you are a sales manger reading this, it had better send you up the pole as well!

Imagine for a moment you are the client who just heard "I'll call you back in a few weeks." Consider the opinions that you might be formulating of that salesperson. What thoughts would be cultivating in your mind? Are your really being drawn to the salesperson?

Here are some possibilities that I came up with:

1. The salesperson is not busy
2. The salesperson is just like the rest of em'.
3. The salesperson has nothing better to do than to leave our conversation in a fog bank.
4. If the salesperson really believed in his product, he would not be so nonchalant.
5. Does the salesperson think that I don't have a life and he could call me whenever?

I could go on and on with this yet I will spare you all the other things that might possibly lurk in a client's mind. Notwithstanding, I am sure that the salesperson that ends his client communication this way STARTS out his communication that way.

Remember what is taught in the SalesMastery Two Day Course (http://www.chuckbauer.com/topic.asp?ID=34). The three reasons why salespeople are given a "NO." Here they are:

1. The client does not like you.
2. You did not explain your product, company or yourself correctly.
3. You did something in your sales delivery that triggered a negative past sales experience for the client.

My belief, in ending a communication with "I'll call you back in a few weeks" hits on #1 and #3. The salesperson does not MAKE his client like him or her and you end your call or appointment just like a typical salesperson. When you say "I'll call you back in a few weeks" you end your call or appointment in a communication fog bank – thus triggering a negative past sales experience for that client.

The solution lies in some easy sales tactics that will help the client avoid feeling and thinking in the ways we just described. These tactics, when practiced and IMPLIMENTED into daily habits will create a positive effect on your sales revenue.

Sales Tactic #1:

Always have a predisposed P.O.A. – plan of attack with precise action steps that will be taken. If you end ANY client communication without a clear and defined next step, you lose. Calling back in a few weeks is NOT a clear and defined next step.

Sales Tactic #2:

Always preach to your client that you are BUSY and you know they are too. If you speak this type of phrasing in the course of your client communication, you KILL THEIR FEAR of you lollie-gagging around because you have nothing better to do. Example: "Mister client, I know you are busy as I am as well, let's respect each other's time commitments and schedule an exact time for our follow up phone call/appointment. I have Tuesday the 14th open at 1:30 pm, my next available after that is Thursday, the 16th at 9:30 am, which works better for you?"

Another great example of this is to STOP answering your phone on the first ring! WHAT?! Are you just sitting there waiting for a client to call you? You are better off to not answer the phone and call back after a few minutes. This tactic applies to your cell phones as well. A BUSY salesperson does not answer the phone on the first ring – they are TOO BUSY!

Is Your Cell Phone Running Your Life? http://www.chuckbauer.com/article.asp?ID=112

Sales Tactic #3:

Use Microsoft Outlook to put the scheduled appointment into your calendar and send an e-mail invite that will PROPOGATE the client's Outlook calendar. There is nothing like being SALES PRECISE with your clients, a sales attraction skill that most salespeople lack! This skill is easy to master, just propagate your Outlook Calendar with the significant information about the appointment or phone call, click "Invite Attendees" on the top navigation bar, add their e-mail address and click send!

Remember, Outlook is a great tool for external communication because the majority of the world is using Outlook. Other programs such as Goldmine or Act, usually are proficient for internal uses but for external communication use Microsoft Outlook.

Need some help with Outlook? Check out this free online training center http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR061832721033.aspx

Sales Tactic #4:

Understand JEOPARDY. That's correct J E O P A R D Y. Jeopardy is defined this way: From the last point of contact with your client until they are brought to conclusion (meaning a yes or no to your product or service) you are in JEOPARDY of losing that sale to a competitor. You had better instigate some immediate, distinctive follow up steps in an effort to throw glue on that client and build a competitor proof wall around them. As always, an immediate follow up to your phone call or appointment is a must.

For great sales distinctive ideas on follow-up, read this article titled T.I.P.S – http://www.chuckbauer.com/article.asp?ID=14

Sales Tactic #5

STOP right now being lackadaisical in your communication. Use and create URGENCY often with your clients.

The following is an actual communication that one of my Sales Coaching Students had with a client – and notice all the places that he adds urgency:

Communication to the Client from the Student:

"I am extremely busy, and know you are as well. Looking to get five minutes max of your time to discuss whether or not you still want (the product), invoicing options, as well as the extra service at no additional cost. Rumor has it our Fast Start promotion will end here this Friday. My greatest fear is that you'll delay reading this email or getting back to me until next week and by then we would have missed the cut-off date to help stretch your company's value by 58% not to mention losing Fast Start's delayed invoicing program until the end of this year."

Clients Response:

"Yes, I have been ignoring you. My silence is not a negotiation tactic, I've just been swamped. I am still interested in (the product). I only have one question before we move forward. Can the payments be made on a quarterly basis, as opposed to all up front?"

Students Response:

"Again, quarterly billing is not a problem; we'll add a 6% premium - what many of my clients are opting for is the delay of their invoice until December and leverage 2008's budget in January to receive their knowledgebase for nearly two years at the price of one."

Clients Final Response:

"Sold. Call me."

Okay, let's do an URGENCY scorecard in the students communication:

1. Extremely busy
2. Know you are as well
3. Five minutes max
4. Still want
5. Extra service at no cost
6. Will end on Friday
7. You will delay
8. Missed the cut off date
9. Stretch the value
10. Lose Fast Start

The student earned an "A" for his switch in communication styles. Just a week prior we had a one hour sales coaching session where his largest challenge was clients putting him off all the time – that challenge was a result of his lackadaisical communication tactics. Change up a few things, add some urgency and look at what happened.

Right now, I am inviting you to make the necessary changes in your client communication tactics. Up level your skills by implementing some of the ideas and suggestions offered in this article. Think about it . . . small little changes could result in a "Sold, Call Me!" versus the proverbial "I'll call you back in a few weeks!"


About the Author:
With over two decades of sales experience, Chuck Bauer is one of North America's most experienced sales coaches, consultants and workshop leaders. Chuck consults to a large number of sales organizations and salespeople nationwide and is a member of the National Speakers Association. His information is widely published in many print and internet based publications. He is a committed body builder, private pilot and trophy bass hunter. Find out more about Chuck at http://www.chuckbauer.com