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How to Grow Using the Internet

Wow, at long last my Home Study Course is done. After only teaching this material to my customers and at Internet Marketing Bootcamps my students convinced me to create a course so that they could study at home or in their businesses. Well this students might be mad because I’m giving away tons of stuff that they’ve paid for. Hey, I got to practice what I preach: under-promise and over-deliver.

Knowledge is cheap. It’s the how-to and the help that costs money. That’s why I’ve included personally helping LOCAL businesses get set up on the web. You can check out the course by clicking on Grow Your Business Using the Interneta>

Directory Submission Software to Drive Traffic

As the search engines are evolving each and every day, it’s getting harder
and harder to get top search engine rankings.

The search engines now, highly favor, websites that have a large number of
quality, one way links pointing to them. Because of this, it’s absolutely critical
that we consistently try to get other websites to link to us, WITHOUT us linking
back to them.

Yes, reciprocal linking is becoming less and less valuable. Submitting your
website to website directories is an excellent way to get, quality, 1 way links
pointing to your websites. You see, many of the website directories online have
a high amount of page rank and have been online for several years.

These are 2 of the most important criteria for determining what a good link
is, vs what a bad link is. These two criteria are:

• The age of the website linking to you
• The Page Rank of the website linking to you

With that said, many of these directories have both a high Page Rank AND are
old websites, giving them more authority and power in the search engines.

Not only that, but there are literally thousands of website directories on
the internet that are absolutely free for you to submit your website to! While
it does take time to find these directories and then manually fill out all of
the required criteria to submit your website, it is an excellent way to help
increase your search engine rankings.

There are some good website directory submission software products on the market.
The best of which is a product called Directory Submitter created by Brad Callen.
Esentially you simply enter your website details into the software program 1
time, and then click on any of the 1600+ website directories in the software
and it wil automatically fill in all of the submission criteria for you. Click
the submit button and then your site has been instantly added to the website
directory.

So, not only does it save you time in finding all of these directories, BUT
it saves you an incredible amount of time filling out each and every website’s
submission criteria. To learn more about Directory Submitter, visit the link
below:

Directory Submitter

Losing Money on Your Website - Most are…

Recently Mark Asper, President of Internet Strategies, a business and Web think tank, was interviewed on the mistakes many businesses make when using the web to promote their business. He said that most businesses have a gap between what they spend and what they make on the web, that web investments are upside down and do not have an positive ROI. In other words they loose money on the web. He was including both Local Businesses and e-Commerce companies in saying that the reasons for this money draining investments are:

• No clear Internet Strategy
• No integration of the Web activities with the rest of the business
• The thinking that their business can’t ‘sell’ on the web
• Not understanding the Web
• Too much outsourcing

These reasons can be summed up simply by saying that most websites don’t have the clear purpose of driving business into their doors and integrating the web into the money making processes of their business. This situation is because for the most part people don’t know what the WEB is best used for or how to do it even when you clearly know what you want to, that is make money by increasing business to your store, consulting practice, or local business.

The problem is compounded by outsourcing people who have the knowledge, you know web designers, graphic artists, programmers, but are more concerned with ‘non-business’ issues instead of your revenue goals. What you often end up with are beautiful websites full of graphics, blinking banners, perhaps even videos and audio clips. Many of these businesses offer a lot of good information as well on-line, from their product catalogs, to elaborate “About Us” pages with company history, officers, locations, etc.

These websites might be good for the ego (which isn’t always a bad thing) but they don’t put money in your pocket. Websites like this might be great for consumers who want to learn about your products and services so that they can prepare for a purchase, translate that into shop you and your pricing around. However unless you’re a library providing free content isn’t helpful, at least for your bottom-line.

Selling to Big Companies - Any company

A prospecting plan for ALL salespeople, not just big company sellers

This book cannot be praised enough. This book isn’t just for selling to big companies! This book is for anyone who needs prospects and whose company does a poor job of generating leads for them (everyone is in this situation I think). Selling to Big Companies debunks many of sales myths, especially those loved by out-of-touch managers who want more results but are clueless about how to get them. We are living in the `perfect storm’ of sales resistance, especially in regards to getting in at all. Selling `high’ isn’t the answer, any more than the tired, worn-out approach of cold calling. This book, however, is the answer!

There are thousands of books and systems for sales. Almost all of them ignore or minimize the realities of how hard it is today to get into accounts to even begin `selling.’ Few books have little useful information on prospecting or lead generation. No matter how good you are if you can’t get in the door you can’t be a solution, strategic, customer-focused, closed sub (Sandler), or ad nauseam `flavor of the day’ seller. This book, coupled with “Selling Against the Goal” has replaced 90% of my selling library and is an indispensable read.

Successfully getting into accounts (of all sizes) requires more than repetitive cold calling. Selling to Big Companies teaches how to create a value proposition. Not an elevator speech or a benefits statement but a carefully designed, researched, and targeted door busting concept for each business you’ve chosen to get into. The book also has good advice on the triggers that make getting in more likely and the other tactics a salesperson can use to break through voice mail, email, and the other technology ‘gatekeepers’ prospects have.

This book is a practical workbook: not simply a theoretical system of selling that does you no good in the day to day selling world where we all live. This book tells you how to make a plan, to create a prospect campaign: the how-to of developing leads and prospects within your territory. The book has very explicit instructions that show you how to work an area, develop business, and close sales. “If you’re not getting in,” for example the book tells us, “it is because your value statement isn’t very good.” This book goes far beyond the worn out and doesn’t work advice of `just cold call more.’ This book may have saved my career. It will definitely improve anyone’s sales efforts if they apply it.

Jill Konrath also has one of the best courses on Selling I’ve ever taken. You can read more about it by Clicking Here
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Selling to Big Companies

E-mailings Boost Boston Dry Cleaner’s Business

This is a great article, proving that you can grow your business using the Internet. If a Dry Cleaner can do it (without a website) anyone can do it.

May 1, 2005 12:00 PM , BY BRIAN QUINTON

One of the pleasures of owning a local business is the feeling that it’s an integral part of customers’ lives, as important to their daily routine as the newspaper and the mail. If properly nurtured, these people can develop a relationship with the business that no competitor can disrupt, creating an important base for future growth.

Bob Devaney knows this — he operates three “Dry Cleaning by Dorothy” stores in the South Boston suburbs. The stores convey a “family” feel in many ways, including employing several of the Devaney clan as managers. But he says weekly e-mailings to the 3,000 customers on his house list also have become part of the family tradition at Dorothy’s.

“Dry cleaning is largely a convenience business; you patronize a store because it’s on your way to somewhere,” Devaney says. “I’m interested in making my customers feel more like they’re family. Just the fact that I’m always visible, sending them something each week — that helps make me their dry cleaner.”

Like most small businessmen, Devaney says he found he never had enough time to devote to promoting his services properly. “I was running around like a headless chicken, fixing machines and talking to customers,” he says. “I always was sitting down to design my coupon ad campaigns at the last minute, and paying a lot of money to do so.”

So in 2001 Devaney put sign-up sheets on his store counters and offered $5 in free dry cleaning to customers who submitted their e-mail addresses. Four years later, Dorothy’s house list grows by 25 to 30 names a week, using the sign-up sheets and other acquisition efforts.
Small businesses usually don’t have a lot of ad dollars to spend, and many feel they don’t have the time or know-how to run an e-mail campaign on their own. But Devaney thinks they should at least investigate the available online options. “I’ve been marketing for 25 years, and e-mail is by far the best thing we’ve ever done,” he says. “I can contact up to 5,000 addresses for $50 a month. I can envision some day not doing any other promotion.”

Selling Against the Goal

This book cannot be praised enough. There are thousands of books and systems for sales. Almost all of them ignore or minimize the realities of how hard it is today to get into accounts to even begin `selling.’ Most sales books have little useful information on prospecting or lead generation. No matter how good you are if you can’t get in the door you can’t be a solution, strategic, customer-focused, closed sub (Sandler), or ad nauseam `flavor of the day’ seller. This book, coupled with “Selling to Big Companies” has replaced 90% of my selling library and is an indispensable read.

“Job Title: Sales Rep. Job Responsibilities: Generate Leads. Close Sales. How to Get the Job Done: It’s up to you, my friend.” This is how the book starts and isn’t it TRUE. No-one tells us how and the real help we get as out-in-the-field salespeople is minimal. Few companies are good at generating leads! Most books written on the topic are for management (Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, for example, is a great book, but not for the grunt on-the-ground like me). Other books just rehash cold calling techniques that simply don’t work in this overworked, too busy, voice mail and email business environment.

Most importantly this book is a practical workbook: not simply a theoretical system of selling that does you no good in the day to day selling world where we all live. This book tells you how to make a territory plan and then develop leads and prospects within your territory. The book works from your goals, even targets the amount of prospects based on your averages and financial plans. The book have very explicit instructions that show you how to work an area, develop business, and close sales. This book goes far beyond the worn out and doesn’t work advice of `just cold call more.’ This book may have saved my career. It will definitely improve anyone’s sales efforts if they apply it.
Selling Against the Goal: How Corporate Sales Professionals Generate the Leads They Need

Tim Russert’s death and his life’s lessons for business

I don’t normally get off topic, that is non-business postings, however columnist Peggy Noonan made some comments on the recent death of Tim Russert that were so powerful and relevent that they need to be shared. Tim Russert was a great man, but not only because of his accomplishments but because of his example and his life, his character. Ms. Noonan said

In a way, the world is a great liar. It shows you it worships and admires money, but at the end of the day it doesn’t. It says it adores fame and celebrity, but it doesn’t, not really. The world admires, and wants to hold on to, and not lose, goodness. It admires virtue. At the end it gives its greatest tributes to generosity, honesty, courage, mercy, talents well used, talents that, brought into the world, make it better. That’s what it really admires. That’s what we talk about in eulogies, because that’s what’s important. We don’t say, “The thing about Joe was he was rich.” We say, if we can, “The thing about Joe was he took care of people.”

After Tim’s death, the entire television media for four days told you the keys to a life well lived, the things you actually need to live life well, and without which it won’t be good. Among them: taking care of those you love and letting them know they’re loved, which involves self-sacrifice; holding firm to God, to your religious faith, no matter how high you rise or low you fall. This involves guts, and self-discipline, and active attention to developing and refining a conscience to whose promptings you can respond. Honoring your calling or profession by trying to do within it honorable work, which takes hard effort, and a willingness to master the ethics of your field. And enjoying life. This can be hard in America, where sometimes people are rather grim in their determination to get and to have. “Enjoy life, it’s ungrateful not to,” said Ronald Reagan

Ms Noonan points out that Tim’s associates and friends all felt great loss and asks some important questions that we can all apply to our lives, especially our business life. “When you die, are people in your profession going to feel like this?” “What can you do better?” When you leave, are your customers—the people who come into the shop, or into your office, those that you call on—going to react like this? Why not?

Want to sell more? Want to improve your business? Perhaps it starts with values, with character. Perhaps starting there will enable the relationships we all know lead, not to one sale or one deal, but to a life-long customer. Tim pointed the way. Perhaps that was his parting gift to us all, especially Business People.

Selling with Emotional Intelligence

This is an important book for salespeople to read and keep close in hand. Sales can be emotionally and psychologically devastating, no matter how stable or mature a person is. Prospects and customers lie, deals go bad, salespeople get cheated, competitors use dishonest and misleading tactics. It’s easy to either burn out or become dysfunctional (that is dishonest) ourselves.

There are many good books on sales techniques, systems and strategies. This is the only book that I know about that helps in the areas of emotional fitness. Mitch Anthony takes Daniel Goleman’s ideas of “Emotional Intelligence” and applies them directly to sales, because as he says, “when clients have a choice, they choose the option with the least amount of emotional exhaustion and annoyance.” Sales people must walk the emotional tightrope of being assertive but not pushy; conversational but not verbal dictators, energetic but not manic, “callous to rejection but sensitive to concerns;” and empathetic but not absorbed. This book will show you how to do that.

“Selling with Emotional Intelligence” will give you the tools to manage stress, control anger, and avoid burnout. By applying the skills of EI clients will be more attracted to your personality and qualifications. You will bring more vitality to each relationship and sales opportunity and be less hurt and de-motivated by the negatives of our profession. This book is about self-mastery which as Sun Tzu (The Art of War) points out is the basis for victory in any endeavor. “Success is driven from the inside out.”
Selling with Emotional Intelligence

Get Clients Now

There are millions of sales books. Most are a high on strategy and low on practicality. This book is all about doing: complete with forms, checklists, charts, and to-do lists. This book is easy to read, implement, and follow. In-fact, I’ve never encountered another book with such precise instructions, including a roadmap that branches off into the various kind of activities that can be used to get more business. It not only includes that roadmap but detailed instructions for each specific tactic and activity that can be used to get clients. This book will become one of the few books you use on a consistent and regular basis.

If you use Ms. Hayden’s program you will get clients, and fast. Not only that you’ll have the increased confidence and satisfaction of doing something that directly impacts your results, not simply waiting until the phone rings or marketing sends you a lead. I loved this book because it has made money for me, increased sales, and made the ‘marketing’ element of my job fun again. Perhaps just as important you can measure what is working and what isn’t, trying different activities and tracking their results. There is no fluff in this book, just a system for driving results and getting business.
Get Clients Now!(TM): A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches

How to take advantage of a hot trend: coupons

Coupons are hot again!

The news has been reporting that consumers are using coupons again. Coupon use is at an all time high. Dismissed as a 90’s fad, coupons haven’t been popular in recent years. However coupons are tied to economic cycles and they become very hot in downturns. A household budget can save almost 30% of their food expenses alone. Buyers can save in other areas as well. How can your business take advantage of this trend?

Coupons promote a business - even if they are never used - a mini ad that doesn’t cost anything to distribute on-line. Coupons will get referrals from your existing customers. Coupons will motivate buyers to buy even when they are worried about the economy. Perhaps that best part is that you control the timing and the offer. Have slow days - make an offer to encourage shopping during those time. Have some hard to move inventory - make a 2 for 1 offer. Use coupons for contents, bonuses and rewards.

Discount coupons give cost savings to customers while providing valuable data and inventory control to the seller. Here are five reasons that creating discount coupons can benefit a business:

• Bring in new customers. When a consumer is ready to buy and knows of multiple sources for the product, price is often the deciding factor. Consumers are attracted to a good deal. Offering a discount coupon to new customers provides an added reason to shop at a particular business over all other options.

• Encourage repeat business. Satisfied customers will be more likely to shop again when they are reminded to do so, and given a compelling reason to return. A special discount coupon can be sent via email at specific intervals as a thank-you for past purchases and to encourage repeat business.

• Increase order size. Time-limited offers create a sense of urgency and give customers a reason to buy more than they originally intended. Discount coupons can be offered for a percentage off the purchase price of a second item, for example, or for free shipping on orders totaling a specific amount.

• Tracking. Gathering data on customer trends is imperative for every seller. Issuing separate discount coupons for different mailings, website promotions and affiliate partners, for instance, provides important information on where customers come from and which marketing campaigns are most effective. This data can then be used to make decisions about future marketing programs.

• Control inventory flow. Physical stores manage inventory flow by marking down items they want to move. Coupons can be used for the same purpose. The discount can be offered across the board, or used to bring in new customers with an interest in that particular product category, or sent to previous customers who bought similar products.

There are several ways discount coupons can be applied. Businesses generally offer a set dollar amount off the normal price of a product, a percentage off the price of a single item, a discount on the order total, or free shipping on orders that exceed a minimum dollar amount.

Discount offers can be extended through a number of vehicles. They can be posted on the landing page of the storefront. They can be emailed to select past or potential customers. They can be introduced on the order summary page to encourage the customer to add items to the shopping cart. Or they can be listed at various coupon sites on the Internet.

Many retailers determine the effectiveness of their marketing strategies by tracking the use of discount coupons. The information can help businesses achieve the highest possible ROI and sales at the best available rates.