Five simple things you can do every day to improve your bottom line

By Colleen Francis

Whether you’re a business owner or part of a company’s sales team, it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of the number-one activity that keeps your organization thriving, and that’s client prospecting.
New business and repeat sales both put money in the till but this won’t happen if you don’t have anyone to sell to. However, prospecting is more than just broadening your social network. It’s about finding who can and will buy what you’re selling. And that’s a skill that you can refine and learn to use as an integral part of your work.
The key to successful prospecting is to make it a daily habit. Never let a day go by without doing at least one thing to generate new business. Recognize that each time you do this; you’re putting new potential leads into your funnel. With time, your commitment to that one simple act will bring great results, including a boost to your bottom line.
Let’s look a bit closer those daily prospecting habits. There are five simple things you can do every day to refine those skills.
1. Pick up the phone.
One of your most powerful selling tools is sitting right there on your desk. Pick up the phone and make a new call to a new potential lead. Successful people who are in the top-ten percent of any organization will tell you that this habit is vital for finding new leads and turn them into customers. Not every call is going to result in a new sale. And sales are not the only reason why you need to pick up that phone every day. Talking to people builds your confidence and teaches you to fine-tune your listening skills. Both of those will help you go a long way to meeting your sales goals.
2.Go to a networking event.
Whether it’s a sales seminar or a charity golf tournament, a networking event is your opportunity to show your face in the community and to A. To be clear, no one is there to buy anything, so NO PITCHING! People at networking events are most definitely keen on making new connections…and new connections can lead to some great relationships. Make time for events in your business calendar, and always be on the lookout for new ones by subscribing to email distribution lists for social events in your area or by joining business- or trade-related groups on social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn.
3. Send an email.
The third thing you can do to hone your prospecting skills is to send an email to a prospective customer to follow-up on an earlier discussion. It costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time and the mere act of reaching out to someone helps to cement the relationship you have with that person. Don’t fall victim to the “out of sight, out of mind” principle. Stay on your prospect’s radar. Remember that for every 30 days your prospects goes without hearing from you, they lose 10% of their potential value to you.
4. Rekindle.
It’s easy for people to fall out of touch Talk to a client you haven’t heard from in a while. Maybe there’s a reason why that’s happened. A quick note or phone call is often all it takes to rekindle that business relationship you once had with a client and that can result in some pretty exciting leads. Reviving lost customers can be a profitable way to generate business now.
5. Call a satisfied customer.
Call a customer that you know who is really happy with your services. You can call just to say hello, you can share with them a business-related tip, a link to a great news article you just finished reading, or you can even take the opportunity to ask for a referral or a testimonial. Satisfied customers—especially those that you have recently started to work with—have already seen the benefits of the product you sell or the service you provide. Staying in touch and remaining familiar face is how you reinforce that positive experience.

Colleen Francis, Sales Expert, is Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions. Armed with skills developed from years of experience, Colleen helps clients realize immediate results, achieve lasting success and permanently raise their bottom line.
Start improving your results today with Engage’s online Newsletter Engaging IdeasAND 10 weeks of free sales tips:www.EngagingIdeasOnline.com

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

What Is Podcasting, And How Can Podcasting Boost Your Business?

By Jeremy Gislason

“So what is podcasting all about?” you might ask. Podcasting is all about audio. You can make an MP3 (or other format) audio file full of valuable content and distribute it via the internet.

Many people and companies produce podcasts on a regular basis, and they have subscribers who are notified every time there’s a newly uploaded podcast.

Users can download podcasts to listen to on their computer while offline or on portable music players. Despite its name, podcasts are not made only for iPods but for any device capable of playing MP3 and other audio types.

Many tech people and those in the internet industry have adopted podcasting as an important way of distributing content and marketing material.

Podcasts allow you to create content that is different from articles and other written forms. They allow your listeners to hear you and even interact with you if the podcast includes a teleconference or phone recording. This will help build trust and boost your credibility, as long as your podcasts are full of valuable information.

Know what is the best part about podcasting? The best thing is that anyone can produce a podcast; you don’t have to be a professional audio producer or a techie to be successful with this technique.

Podcasts can be subscribed to via RSS feeds. RSS lets users know when a new podcast is ready and attaches the file to the feed.

If your reader supports podcasting, you can even listen to it in the reader, or automatically download it and listen to it at their convenience. It only takes a bit of imagination to discover what podcasts can be used for – information content, interviews, music clips, news, radio shows, commentaries, webcasts, story telling, instructional and many more uses. The opportunities are endless.

Technology such as VoIP is increasingly being used for podcasts. This adds a whole new level of functionality to podcasting and one that savvy users are taking advantage of.

If you want to make a name for yourself in the internet marketing or affiliate marketing world (or any other industry), then running a weekly podcasting session and encouraging people to join in are effective ways to do that.

People will look forward to your next recording and you can, of course, subtly promote your products and services in the podcasts. As long as you’re providing great value, podcasts make an excellent way to build trust with your customers and prospects, and increase your bottom line.

What are the top benefits of podcasting? They include:

1. Branding

Podcasting allows you to build a brand for your business. This is particularly true if your podcasts follow a similar format each week and have a catchy musical introduction.

2. Asynchronous broadcasting

People do not have to tune in at a specific time as with old-fashioned webcasts. They can listen to your podcast anytime, anywhere.

3. Little effort required

Even the most technologically challenged users are able to use podcasts – they just download the MP3 and play it on their computer or portable device. This makes it highly accessible to anyone.

4. Relationship and trust building

By broadcasting yourself for your audience to hear, you instantly strike up credibility. Once your visitors know that you are a real person because they can hear your voice, the barriers come down and they subconsciously start to trust and like you more.

This is a great way to strengthen the relationship between you and your website visitors and listeners.

Now that you know what podcasting’s main benefits are, you can start using it today to grow and promote your business to a new level.

Discover the most profitable website marketing strategies and methods to increase online traffic using the very techniques, knowledge and tools that have made internet marketers millions of dollars at http://www.dynamic4marketing.com/

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

By Felicia Vaile

If you are starting your own internet marketing campaign to increase sales and drive traffic to your website building a powerful e-mail list is key. Here are seven free list building tips that will get you started:

(1) Create a blog

At the bottom of each post include a link to the email list “squeeze page” on your main website.

(2) Forum Posts

Find a forum or discussion board of people who are within your niche market. Spend some time reading the forum for a few days. Learn how the forum works and how it is operated. When you see something posted that is related to your keyword or e-mail list then make a comment. If you can, add your web link but check with the policies first as some forums prohibit adding a link.

(3) Post Comments

Start watching blogs related to your niche. Pick 2-3 to watch and track. Now over the next 30 days, write comments (with a web link to your website) to posts that you like or dislike. Take the time to post well thought out opinions before you write. People will click on links more about people who understand and think like they do.

(4) Signature Lines

If the forum prohibits direct web links then change your forum account to include a web link to your list squeeze page or your home page at the least. Also add a web link your email accounts, all pointing back to your squeeze page.

(5) Write Articles

Article directories will take how-to articles as low as 400 words. Type out 5-10 warning signs, tips, tricks and ideas about anything related to your keywords. Post in directories like Article Zone, EzineArticles, etc. Don’t forget to include your web link to your resource box.

(6) Create Videos

It’s not that difficult to produce a video that you can upload to YouTube. Include your web link in the start and end credits!

(7) Create Pod casts

Use Audacity (a Free Audio Editor and Recorder program) and cheap microphone with a noise cancelling feature to record 5-10 minute mini “radio shows”. Include good information and mention your web address at least 3 times. It will take a bit of time but eventually these list building techniques will be second nature to you and your e-mail list will blossom!!

By Felicia Vaile

If you have never heard of the Pareto Principle or as it is better known, the 80-20 rule let me enlighten you. The Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule is another name for the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity. The principle was named after an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto carried out several surveys related to the concepts of the distribution of wealth and income among various populations. Pareto first found that 80% of Italy’s wealth was owned by 20% of the population. Similar findings were found in many other countries as well.

Pareto’s Principle can be applied to almost anything in one’s life, resulting in very similar findings. If you are a women and love shoes as much as I do, you can relate to the fact that we seem to wear 20% of our most favored shoes about 80% of the time, and perhaps we spend 80% of the time with 20% of our friends and acquaintances, etc..

How can we apply the 80-20 rule to benefit us in business? Take some time to really wrap your mind around the entire 80-20 concept and start using it to your advantage. If you are unhappy or frustrated in your business try to identify the 20% of tasks and activities that are hampering your productivity 80% of the time. Once you identify that 20% it is time to either eliminate or delegate those tasks.

How about your clients and customers? I know all about good old fashioned customer service and how every client and customer deserves equal attention but if you take a look at profits, sales and commissions generated from all of your regular customers, you most likely will see that 80% of your profits are generated from 20% of your regular customers. Now I’m not saying cut your losses and only cater to your most profitable clients. I am saying allocate 80% of your time and attention to the 20% of clients that have earned you the most profits, sales and commissions in the past and allocate 20% of your efforts to the 80% of your client base that have not.

For more business coaching ideas and strategies subscribe to my newsletter. Just for signing up, receive my 5-day Free Effective Delegation Strategies E-course.
($49.95 value).

Sincerely,

Felicia Vaile
Eclick Business Services
www.eclickbs.com

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By Doug Hart

I’ve been thinking recently about the past year and my struggle to get where I’m at in my business, and the amount of work that’s been involved. When I think about how little I knew a year ago, not only about how websites work, how to write and publish a newsletter, how to get traffic to my website, etc. it just seems like I’ve come so far. I was just so clueless!

I never had my doubts I could get this far, because I’ve been setting my goals, working my plan and doing the research to find out how others have done it. Looking back on everything I’ve had to do, it seems like things started out very difficult and confusing. As I gained knowledge I started to make “tweaks” in my plan, cutting corners as I went along. I even took a different direction for a while, just to see if something might work better another way. It took some time to “wrap my head” around some new concepts such as internet marketing, how search engines work, and other details of the business, but I hung in there and dedicated myself to learning. The funny thing is, it’s gotten much easier – like I’ve gained speed or momentum along the way somehow. No doubt about it, it wasn’t easy.

I guess this is similar to what it takes to make a rocket ship take off and leave the earths gravity, where a huge amount of energy is expended at first to leave the ground. As the rocket tries to lift off the ground, it is burning a massive amount of fuel just to escape gravity – this phenomenon is called “inertia”. The definition from American Heritage Dictionary: Physics the tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight-line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force. For me that initial energy was huge and the more I learned and the more progress I made, the easier it became! Now that it’s been a year since I’ve been doing this, I’m at the point where I feel things are flowing so much better; I take for granted certain skills that I had no knowledge of last year. Even writing is easier, although I must say I’m not completely free of the gravitational pull on that subject.

Are you afraid to start something new, like going back to college at night, begin a new career path, undertake an exercise program, or even start a business, because you’re afraid of how long it will take to gain the skill or knowledge to get competent? Look at it this way – what are your choices? You can keep doing what you have been doing and get the same results, or you can make a decision to change direction and start that new career or business (or whatever) right now without hesitation. Will it take time? Of course it will. Will it get easier as time goes on? Of course it will! As you gain momentum, the skills you are learning will become more embedded in your brain, along with pure knowledge of this new subject you’ve undertaken. You must get take the steps to “get off the ground” first. Once you really get off the ground, you will gain speed and take off like a rocket, reaching new heights that you thought were impossible before. Confidence soars; you start to feel almost invincible! This can be such a life-changing experience, affecting other areas of your life in a positive way as well. Once you have success in one or two areas, things you have been putting off before suddenly look very much within your reach. I implore you; find your passion today – whatever it is, and take steps to get off the ground now. Don’t be like most others, sitting on the launch pad all your life. Rocket to success!

To your continued success and happiness!

Doug Hart, CHO of GetPassionForLife.com

I’ve spent many years studying psychology, philosophy, NLP, and motivation. My particular focus is on the biggest question in life – what makes us happy? Join me
And together we can discover more about what makes you happier in life.
I think it’s more of a journey than a destination, and I would like to make your journey much more exhilarating, passionate, loving, and unforgettable! Take the time to visit us at http://getpassionforlife.com and find out why “you are what you
Think about most” and how critical your success is to happiness!

Article Source: www.free-articles-zone.com

By Felicia Vaile

As I forge ahead with my experiment to create a website based solely on my passion
instead of profit I have to say thus far it has been a most enlightening experience.
This week, as I dared to dream of interests, passions, hobbies and anything else that tickled my fancy I had feelings of empowerment, encouragement, and new energy! I didn’t feel stress to find the big money makers in keywords, topics, and domain names or worry about finding content for a site topic I have absolutely no interest in other than profits.

The entire process wasn’t difficult once I started to focus on what I like and dream about. Don’t worry…I still dream about big money, who doesn’t? I just look at it from a different perspective. “If you build it…they will come” There it is… in a nut shell and that is what I plan to do. I not only came up with one website idea that I am passionate about but four! I have decided to register my four domain names and get to work!

I am looking forward to publishing my new websites and have tons of ideas for content. I am confident visitors will be able to see the passion in my articles and my knowledge and experience will be evident in the content I provide. I am extending this challenge to you. If you have been wanting to create a website that will rake in “the big money” yet you find yourself stressed and frustrated by all the hype about the importance of choosing profitable keywords, topics, and domain names and the endless research that goes with it, then accept this challenge. Start thinking differently this weekend….take mental notes of what you do when you relax, what books you read, shows you watch, and activities. Ask yourself this question, “If I had 10 million dollars with the condition that although I had no further financial needs I was still required to have a job, what would that job be?”

Stay tuned for more updates on the Passion vs. Profit Website Experiement.

Sincerely,

Felicia Vaile
www.eclickbs.com

By Felicia Vaile

To create a website for profit or passion this is the question to ask yourself and the question I have been asking myself as I embark on my next endeavor.  As Oprah coined the popular phrase “an ah-ha moment” that is exactly what I had today, an ah-ha moment.  I research profitable keywords for clients all the time.  I also provide reports on trends and search engine optimization for many clients.  These services have helped many of my clients increase their website traffic and profitability.  These services and tools are profitable because the customer’s business or topic is something they are usually very familiar with and enjoy, so the information on their website is unique and useful from an expert in the field.  They are an expert because they are passionate and have made it a priority to learn everything there is to know about their business / topic.  Here comes the ah-ha moment……

I want to be filthy rich like Oprah.  I also want to explore my passion.  Profit and Passion is the ultimate goal but for now, I believe, focusing on my passion will generate profits in the end. I am conducting my own passion first profit second experiment. My plan is to take the rest of this week to take mental notes of activities and interests that I find myself thinking, reading, and dreaming about.  Once the fog has lifted and my passion is clear as mud to me I will begin the process of creating my passion website.  I will avoid all temptations to research keywords, key phrases or trends.  I promise myself not to SEO my site.  Once the site is established I will critic the site to increase site traffic while maintaining the original topic (my passion).

The bottom line is… creating a website can be as frustrating or as fun as you want it to be.  For me, the most frustrating part of the process is deciding on a theme or topic.  Popular keywords are great but how profitable is a website going to be if you don’t have good content?  If you are not passionate about the topic to which you are writing about visitors are not going to come back to your site.  If the topic does not interest you, updating your site will become more of a chore rather than a pleasure.  Remember the saying “If you truly do what you love you will never work another day in your life”.

In the end the experiment will be deemed a success if my passion (any passion) website can be turned into a profitable website without the initial help of researching profitable keywords, phrases and trends that in the beginning can sometimes cloud ones judgment in realizing what their real passion is.  Stay tuned for updates.

Sincerely,

Felicia Vaile,

Eclick Business Services

www.eclickbs.com

Author: Sherrie Chastain

The most important thing to consider when marketing your small business online is to have a clear idea of what your goal is and the results you expect from a website. Answer the following questions.
 
1) Who is your target audience?
2) What are the objectives of your website?
3) What does a visitor expect form your site?
4) What do you want the visitor to leave with?
5) Why should a visitor return to your site?
 
Asking these questions will provide you with data that will help you establish your marketing goals and expectations. Answering these questions will also give you a clear picture of what type of site to build for your current client base and prospects.
 
The internet is the most cost effective sales tool invented to date. With some imagination you can expose your brick and mortar business to the entire world with a relatively small cash outlay compared to traditional advertising. The best part about marketing your small business online is it does not require any employees, like expanding your business locally would require.
 
Leads can become an automated process with the right strategies used for marketing your small business online. Some businesses change to entirely online and close their brick and mortar business, because the overhead is so much lower and easier to control plus the business can now be run from any geographical location.
 
Many businesses are able to build their online revenue to far exceed their present revenue, because of the exposure to a larger number of prospects. This will also increase your ROI because marketing your small business online is more cost effective. Million dollar business can virtually be run with a couple of employees which is almost impossible in a brick and mortar business.
 
Always establish your goal before you begin to market your small business online so you will know which internet marketing strategies are best for your business. Use the answers to these questions along with your goal when you interview internet marketing agencies to make sure they are able to set up an internet marketing campaign that is aligned with your goals.
 
Implement different types of strategies because each one requires a different amount of time for results. Considering all of these aspects are key in an effective campaign marketing your small business online.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/marketing-your-small-business-online-to-increase-profits-in-2009-673442.html

About the Author:
Sherrie Chastain Skunkworks Marketing Solutions, LLC Maximize Your ROI in 2009, because Your Business Deserves to Prosper in Today’s Economy.  More Info on   Marketing Your Small Business Online  and a Recent Case Study Using Free Methods Resulting in Google page #1 Ranking.

 by: Keith Thompson

Tis’ the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you believe in the law of reciprocity, and if your business is the least bit successful you must; you know that giving back is not only the right thing to do, but it’s very smart business as well. Let’s look at some of the benefits and mechanics of Christmas and holiday gift-giving.

* WHY DO IT AT ALL?

Gift giving is an excellent way to not only say thank you for all the business and continued loyalty your clients and customers have shown over the past year, it help to solidify relationships and in some cases, actually tilt the playing field in your favor. A well-conceived business gift will speak volumes on your integrity, thoughtfulness and sincerity and may make the difference between you and a competitor. As for employees, the days of 50 years and a gold watch are long gone, so a token of appreciation during the holidays or other special occasions can turn a mediocre relationship into one of fierce loyalty.

* WHEN TO DO IT?

Obviously Christmas and the season surrounding it are the major themes here. Other times of the year, such as Thanksgiving, Easter, Labor Day etc., may also present golden opportunities as it is not expected then. Other times to consider might include occasions such as a business anniversary, marriage, births, promotions, new offices or branches, and possibly retirement(ESPECIALLY of a competitor!)

* WHAT TO GIVE?

This can be the most difficult part of the process. All of us have been the recipient of the cookie cutter approach, as the countless fruitcakes of Christmases past haunt our freezers. In a large company, it’s difficult to avoid this, but by bearing this in mind, you’ll be able to come up something unique and stand out above the rest. Also think of the nature of the business relationship. Anything inappropriate would not only be unappreciated, but could have the opposite effect of that you’re trying to achieve. If you can, try to make it as personal as posssible, reflecting the interests and likes of the person receiving the gift. Be mindful of religious differences, as you don’t want to offend in that area either. While striving to give the nicest gift possible within your budget, take care not to appear as though you are bribing anyone for business or loyalty.

* HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS?

Start as soon as possible, and dedicate at least one person to work on this solely, as depending on the size of your list, it can become onerous. Given enough time and resource, however, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Shopping online has made things so much simpler. You can find so many more choices with the click of a mouse than you could with weeks of prospecting on foot. Many of your favorite brick and mortar merchants now have an online presence as well, as they too recognize the immense possibilities of the medium. Take advantage of web vendors, many of whom offer free shipping, corporate and bulk discounts, and many other perks to get your business. It really is a time-saver!

Christmas and Holiday gift-giving isn’t the gargantuan task it used to be. The internet and a smart strategy make it profitable and enoyable!

 www.articlecity.com

By Nazeer Daud

As a business, your competitors are just that: competitors. However, the way you treat your competitors may affect how your customers and the media perceive your business, your ethics, and your friendliness. For those reasons, and more, it’s important that you carefully consider how you act with your competitors. In this article we provide guidance on how you can have a good relationship with competing businesses while limiting the impact this will have on your business success. When customers see you have strong ethics in how you deal with your competitors, they will know for sure that you’ll treat them right.

Congratulate Their Success

When a competing business does something well, you should be prepared to say so. If for example, a competing business has managed to gain greater traction than you, then you should point out that they have done really well, and are a good business, while also pointing out the advantages your business is able to offer that your competitors cannot. This is a good demonstration of the strong ethics within your business, and will certainly leave a positive impression.

Recommend Business Their Way

If you and your competitors are able to cater for different categories of customers, then why not recommend them when you can’t offer a service to a certain customer? This will make you look good, and they might also be able to do the same for you in return. In the end, both of you will end up with more business as a result.

Sales & Marketing Strategies

When it comes to sales and marketing, it can be tempting to point out the negative aspects of your competitors. And, in some cases, it may be an essential part of closing the sale. However, rather than criticizing your competitor, why not mention both positive and negative points of their service? Such as: “yes, you are correct, Company A is able to offer lower pricing than we can. For customers that are more price sensitive, and that 100% up-time isn’t essential, they can be a great solution. We cater for more IT-dependant organizations and employ 3 times as many engineers per customer. Company A also uses an overseas call-centre, which is a great way to keep costs down, and provide a more efficient service, but