Blogtrepreneur: Social Media Optimization is one of the most common methods for getting significant exposure for bloggers. Sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, and Delicious are constantly sending large volumes of traffic to submissions that are the most popular with users.

An effective Social Media Marketing plan can help to take a blog from nowhere to being well-known in a short amount of time. However, social media isn’t a good fit for every blog, and not all bloggers choose to participate. For those who would rather draw traffic in other ways, there are some traffic sources that are capable of giving you the same type of exposure as a front page appearance on a major social media site.

In this post we’ll look at five ways that bloggers can quickly gain tremendous exposure without social media, and without paying for any advertising. Just like social media, these methods won’t be for everyone either, but you may find something that fits very well for your niche and for your audience.

1 - Get Mentioned by Google News
2 - Submit a Press Release
3 - Get a Link from a Major Website
4 - Write a Guest Post for a Major Blog
5 - Get Listed in Web Design Galleries

5 Alternatives to Social Media Marketing [Blogtrepreneur]

• 0 Comments

  

While research shows that most people believe they can’t be sold, the fact is those same people can indeed be persuaded if they don’t recognize that a sales technique is being used.

The trick lies in the different persuasive strategies used then and now. Lets use a car salesman this time since they top the list as the people you absolutely cannot trust in a poll.

Then: They go on downloading information in you, telling you EVERYTHING you need to know AND don’t need to know. Basically, its like taking a shotgun with pellets in it, hoping that one of them will hit the target. This doesn’t work anymore!

The following are strategies for you to adopt as you attempt to persuade your audience, be it one or many.

1. Aiming at the Target

Have you been in a situation where a salesman or saleswoman was trying to sell you something by giving you the 4-1-1 of what he or she is selling while you absolutely couldn’t wait to get away from the guy? That he or she was boring you nuts with all the information?

You felt like running away as soon as he turns his head because he never found out what was IMPORTANT to YOU.

Ask a simple question : “What’s most important to you when you buy a car? ”

“What’s most important to you when you enroll your kids to a programme? ”

“What most important to you when you look for a life partner…( ok you get it by now don’t you? ) ”

This simple question is what gets you the most answers. So for example, if I’m going to go buy a car, what’s important to me is the price.

So if you’re going to sell me a car, you should immediately address my pricing concerns and not go rambling on how energy-efficient and how many awards the car has won. This saves your breath and of course, time spent.

2. Never start your questions with ” WHY? “

Not only is it annoying but you get only excuses.

Lets use an example: If your kid comes back from school with his report card dominated with D’s and E’s and (God Forbid, F’s ), You’ll probably be in a rage and ask ..”WHY did you get D’s and E’s ?? ”

And the answer (or rather, excuse) that you’re going to get is:

“My teacher ate my test paper.”
“My teacher doesn’t really like me.”
“The kids bully me if I get A’s.”

So how can you ask the same question but get solutions instead?

Start your questions with “What” or “How”. These 2 words empowers action in people. You’re still asking the same question, but you shift its mode and then you start to get changes!

3. Use STORIES to convey your message.

Its important to highlight before I continue with how we can use stories that people tend to be too obvious when they use their stories. As a result, they shift back into a sales mode.

Most people cannot come up with a story on the fly. Even Paul suggested practice and fine-tuning our stories to ensure an impactful message and one that really sinks into the human psyche. Remember? Stories, like humour is a process. Your stories are not going to come out fantastic the first time you tell them. Hence, you must be willing to let your stories develop over time.

Eric Feng is the go-to guy if you want to learn how to impress your investors and customers through public speaking. For more tips and tactics that you can use immediately in your next presentation, visit The Public Speaking Blog.

• 0 Comments

  

I always tell people that the number one life skill you must have if you want to be rich and successful is that you must learn to sell.

The trouble with a lot of people is, especially those who are highly educated, with a degree or honours degree say, "I don't sell."

Being a degree holder myself, I think that it is the most stupid thing in the world. If I were to ask you, "Do you know who the world's greatest salesperson is?"

I'll tell you who it is. I would say it's the President of United States or any president or prime minister. You know why? He's got to go out there and he's got to sell himself, in order for you to vote for him.

Do you think it's easy? Look at George Bush for an example, he won his election just narrowly by 51 % of the votes. This means 49% of people, said no to him, they hated him probably.

But do you think he cares? He doesn't care

So if the president of the United States, who is the most powerful man on Earth can sell and take rejection, why can't you?

I believe that the main reason why a lot of people are afraid of selling, is because of ego.

This is especially so for those who have an MBA or Degree. And that's what holds most people back. And that's why, I hate to say this. Most people with a Degree or PHD won't succeed as much in business as to someone who doesn't.

But it doesn't have to be that way. I told myself that although I have a degree I will not let my ego get in the way. You just got to learn how to sell. And if you think about the irony of it, a lot of times we are already selling , we are just not aware of it.

For example, most of us would have probably been on a date, before. If you are on a date, what were you selling? You're selling yourself.

This also applies even if you are a doctor. A lot of doctors in the medical profession, especially those in the GP arena, a lot of them are suffering.

Why? That's because they are good at the technical aspects, but they can't sell themselves, they can't smile at you when you come into their office, they don't know how to market.

So it's the person who knows how to sell that makes the best doctor, the best lawyer, in whatever profession that may be. But again the substance must be there. That presupposed substance must be there and selling is like that huge cherry on top that makes people want to eat your cake.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, he owns and runs several businesses in education, training, event management and advertising, all with a combined annual turnover of $20 million. His best-selling "Patterns of Excellence" is a complete step-by-step system that will literally program you for success in life.

• 1 Comments

  

BusinessKnowHow: Most, if not all, small businesses are built on a budget. Available funds must be used to buy technology, additional phone lines and marketing materials such as business cards. In this article you will find ten low cost or no cost tips that will help you get your first customer and build your business.

1) Obtain free or low cost business cards at a company such as www.VistaPrint.com.

2) Have a new or rebuilt shopping center opening in your town? Attend the grand opening and chat with the business owners and staff and hand out your free or low cost business cards.

3) Create flyers with your phone number on tear off tabs and place them at the library, grocery store, coffee shops, etc.

4) Hold a contest. People love freebies.

5) Write an article that would appeal to your target audience such as small business owners, add a four to five line biography with your e-mail address and web site address.

6) Create an informative presentation around your topic area and contact your local Chamber of Commerce and offer to speak at a monthly meeting.

7) Create coupons offering a free or discounted product or a free hour of service for every two or three hours of paid service.

8) Use the time you spend sitting in traffic to gain new clients. For less than thirty dollars you can purchase a sign for your car from www.iprint.com or www.webdecal.com.

9) Create a press release announcing the opening of your business or some other milestone event. Send the press release to editors at your local newspaper and to other free area publications.

10) Ask for referrals. Give your business card to your family members, neighbors, hair salon, etc. and ask that they pass them on.

Top Ten Frugal Ways to Market Your Small Business [BusinessKnowHow]

• 0 Comments

  

A tale of two companies

The contrast couldn't be sharper.

Company T had lost it's direction and was sinking fast. Where sales were once $18M, they ultimately plunged to less than $6M. Where they once set the standard in their industry for customer service, now they were the joke of the town.

Company C was a different breed. It had always been the small respected underdog. At $6M is was a third of company T's size. Where everyone else in the industry had lost over half their business, they were holding fast and had doubled their customer base. They were poised to exit the recession as a dominant player.

Why was company C thriving in the recession while company T (and the rest of the industry) foundered? They had a strong sales focus. They seized the chance to grow market share. They saw the opportunity to eliminate several bottom feeders that constantly drug down prices.

7 Keys to selling during a recession

1. Go back to basics

   When things start spinning out of control it is time to reevaluate. What does a good coach work on when his team is slumping? He goes back to basics.
   
   It isn't exciting, but think back to your early days when you were learning sales.Take a deep breath, step back, and look at sales 101.
   



2. Focus on the customer

   Business starts and ends with your customer. Identify his needs. This becomes the basis for your products/services. No, that doesn't mean you give away the store. It just means that every aspect of your business needs to support your customer. Anything else is a waste of time and money.

   Most businesses focus on their systems and expense control. Their criteria for all decisions is making their own jobs easier. Guess what...the customer doesn't care!
   



3. Focus on your niche

   This is not the time to try new techniques, find new markets, or launch new products. That is a desperate act that just wastes your time and money. If anything you should actually focus your resources on your top products, services, and markets. Remember, jack of all trades, master of none.

   Take a minute and define your focus. What is your niche market? What are their needs? What are you doing now to service them? What could you do better? How can you dominate your niche and grow your market share?
   



4. Increase your sales budget

   Contrary to what your operations manager says you can't cut your way to a profit. Business starts and ends with the customer. Yes you need to tighten your belt. Expense control is important. Just be smart where you spend your money. Ask the question "will it grow my business?"

   Increase your sales expense budget. Spend more on strategic lunches. Give your top salesman a bonus. Reward your sales support team. Thank your top customers for their loyalty and send them a gift.

   Compare this to what your competition is doing. Right now they are reigning in their salesman. In fact, they probably just fired a few! You stand out and can take market share if you are smart.
   



5. Dump the deadbeats

   Fire the bottom 20% of your customers. I can hear the screaming now. "We can't afford to lose any more business." This is bunk. These customers take 80% of your time for 20% of the income. Cut them loose and spend your resources on customers you can satisfy!
   



6. Guard your customer base

   Right now everyone is hungry. They are eying your customers like a starving wolf eyes a young lamb. Take care of your customer. Give them such value and service that they wouldn't dream of going elsewhere. Build deep relationships with the key decision makers-remember that the buying decision is emotional. Logic is used to justify the decision.

   Make a list you your customers and rank them. Focus your time and energy on your stars.
   



7. Branch out to new accounts

   The flip side of guarding your customers is to go on the attack. Remember that your competition is cutting back on spending. They have let a few salesmen go. The remaining salesmen are overloaded and overworked.

   Make a customer wish list. Look at the competition and identify their top customers to target.

Brandt Smith is a sales, marketing, public speaking, and professional development expert. Learn about achieving wealth and life balance through entrepreneurship at Wealth and Wisdom, where he is cofounder and senior editor. Their advice on wealth building, personal development, and life balance can help take you to the next level. You can also read more of his thoughts on his blog.

• 0 Comments

  

This article is by our guest writer Diana Ennen, who is also the Author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, & The Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack. She also owns a website: http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Marketing your business is essential to its success. You can have the greatest service or the best product, but if you don't market it and let others know about it, then it's doubtful that you'll be very successful. When considering your marketing, you first want to take into account who your clients are, and what your clients might be looking to you to do. To do this, you need to do the following:

1.Know Your Client's Business: The first step is to know your clients. Do some research so you can have a clear understanding of what your clients' business is and what they do. What does this business hope to achieve? What are its needs and how can you meet those needs?

What can you do that will allow that client to perform better in business? By knowing your client and finding answers to these questions, you can become an immediate asset to their firm.

2.Offering Clients a Convenience: One of the main conveniences you can offer is that of time. Clients realize that their time is valuable. Anything that will allow your potential clients more freedom with their time is an immediate plus. But you need to be able to show them this in your marketing. Take for example a virtual assisting business, when you market to potential clients letting them know that you will do their correspondence typing, answer their e-mail, handle all their publicity needs and even keep their office running while they travel, they realize they will have the time they need to do the work that often so desperately needs done. They will have the time to draft that pleading or finalize the proposal. For the realtor, when you do their marketing they can see how they would be allowed the freedom to be out there selling.

3.Solving clients' problems: If you can find a way to solve a client's problems, then you are able to make your business a valuable asset to them. For example, let's say they are having problems with their website and getting visitors to it. You can send them a letter addressing specifically how you can bring more visitors and also mention what other advantages you can offer. You become a very valuable asset when you do this. They have a problem they need fixed. You have a solution you can solve that problem. They are eager to talk to you immediately to get their site up and running and not miss out on any more missed revenue from their site being down.

4.Proving Clients with Something Better Than What They Have: In your marketing efforts, make sure to mention anything that might be of interest to your clients to run their business better. For example, you might have Voxwire capabilities. This allows you to do web conferencing. You can offer your clients the convenience of having meetings, classes online, etc. Or perhaps you are an expert at Outlook and e-mail management. You can emphasize how much time you can save them daily when you handle this for them. Also, how much more they can connect to their clients when you organize their contacts with Outlook so they can keep in better touch with them.

These are essential key points to remember in marketing to obtain clients or even to keep those existing ones. Now, it's also important once you get those clients to keep those clients. To do this, you just provide the best possible service always.

For additional marketing tips, you can look to our articles at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com for articles on all topics of marketing, as well as other business needs.

• 0 Comments

  

Our friend at YoungEntrepreneur.com, Evan Carmichael, alerted us to a really insightful post written by Andy Marken for his weekly Entrepreneur University feature. It's about whether or not businesses should start a blog and if you decide to, what are the things to look out for that will help turn your blog into a success. The key learnings points we took away from the article:

1. Blogs are ideal for CEOs because the focus is on a topic you are passionate about. The blog allows the executive to address business issues and concerns, explain them and expand on key industry/company points.

2. Use shorter, more frequent blog entries rather than long white papers or position statements. As you study blogs around the web you will see that the best and most popular sites are a short paragraph or two and sometimes only a sentence. The goal is to show you are knowledgeable about the subject and to make one specific point. Some of the best executive blogs only have a sentence or two with a link directing readers to a relevant article in a respected business, trade or consumer publication.

3. The best business blogs reflect the viewpoint and voice of the executive, not lawyer talk or PR bullet dodging. This can be a tightrope because you want to be as honest and forthright as possible but you also have to write with the understanding that you are creating a very public presence of your information.

Learn more about whether you should start a blog right now at YoungEntrepreneur.com's article: Should You Start A Blog? - Entrepreneur University.

• 0 Comments

  

Before you can have clients, you need to have prospects -- that's what marketing is all about. If your marketing isn't attracting the kind of people you'd like to be working with, it's like pushing a rope -- you are trying to sell them something they don't need, and they are looking for something you don't offer. A little fine-tuning of your marketing plan can make the difference between a solo business that lurches and stalls, and a business that runs smoothly and is fun to operate.

Your Four-Point Marketing Tune-Up Checklist:

Understand the difference between your Target Market and your Niche. A target market has distinguishing demographic characteristics; for example, recently widowed working women under 50. A niche gets more specific in characteristics that might not be as easily identifiable as demographics; using the previous example, you could further narrow your target market by including only women who want to remarry and don’t know how to meet suitable men.

Make sure your Niche is focused enough. Think of all the people who might fit in your niche. Imagine them all in a room at a business or social event. Would you find them all interesting and enjoy talking to them? If you cringe at the thought of meeting some of the people in that imaginary room, note what it is about them that you’d like to avoid – and re-define your niche to exclude them.

Perhaps you want to coach women who will be patient in their search for a spouse -- not desperate! If your marketing message implies easy, immediate results, you'll be attracting the wrong prospects. Fine-tune your language so it is clear that your solutions may take time to be successful. You won’t be eliminating potential customers – you’ll be saving yourself time wasted on less-than-ideal prospects. And you’ll find yourself more effortlessly attracting clients in the heart of your niche market.

Choose marketing techniques that fit your strengths. Just because every other relationship coach has written a book, doesn’t mean you have to! If the whole publishing and book promotion exercise sounds like torture, don’t waste your time. Maybe writing a Dear Abby type of newspaper column is more your style. If you find dealing with your website to be confusing, but are good at speaking to small groups, ignore the advice to do a lot of online marketing and instead look for opportunities to speak at senior centers.

Be authentic – be yourself. Building an image that isn’t who you are is a setup for disaster, especially for the self employed. You’ll be exhausted keeping up the façade…and potential clients will sense the lack of integrity. If you yourself are recently widowed and learning how to meet the right kind of men, don't try to imply that you are an expert. Your personal dating stories can be a great way to establish a relationship with a potential client, who can see themselves in you. Clients want someone they can trust -- it is more important than all the credentials in the world.

Terri Zwierzynski is a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs Solo-E.com, the resource website for the self-employed which attracts thousands of solo home business owners monthly from over 100 countries on six continents (and was recently named a finalist for “Website of the Year” in the 4th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business). Terri is also the co-author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small or Solo Business.

• 0 Comments

  

Small Business Branding: How important a core difference is essential to marketing success.

Marketing behaviorQuite often a small business owner will ask me to reveal the most powerful marketing strategy I have seen. The answer may surprise you.

The most powerful marketing strategy I know has little to do with direct mail, adverting, special promotions, websites or referrals. No, before any of those ‘tactics’ will have any major impact on your business you must first find, commit and communicate a compelling difference between you and everyone else that says they do the same thing as you.

Let’s do a quick mental exercise.

Pretend that you are in a room full of your competitors and I asked this question. “If you think you offer a fair price, please raise your hands”. “Now, lower your hands if you don’t offer great customer service.” “Lower your hands if you don’t feel you are an expert and can deliver valuable advice” How many hands do you think would be up? Almost all right? So, if you don’t do an effective job at “educating” you customers on how specifically you are different, guess what the deciding factor is? PRICE!!!! Who wants to compete on price?

Look, we all know that every business is special and unique in its own way. But the bigger question is does your potential clients know? You have to answer the following question “why should I choose you?” from the customer perspective. There are several ways you can establish a unique selling proposition. Here are a few:

* Unique service
* Market niche
* Special offer
* Solve a specific problem

Once you have spent some time and discovered your uniqueness, you must commit to it. These core differences will become the foundation for all of your marketing material and advertising messages. You will use these unique differences to create your marketing materials that educate.

Differentiate or Die: Standing Out In A Crowd [Small Business Branding]

• 1 Comments

  

Small Business Trends: Maybe sales and marketing are not your strongest skills. But if you want to improve your marketing by 100%, try this simple technique that anybody can do: learn to tell a good story.

In my latest column over at the OPEN Forum site, I discuss the power of telling stories to spice up your marketing:

T.J. Walker, a public speaking consultant to the rich and famous, wrote about the power of telling stories. Quoting the book “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, he notes that 63% of people will remember a story from a talk or presentation, versus only 5% who remembered statistics.

He also said this: “Stories are not a luxury; they are the single most effective way to get your audience to remember your messages.”

OK, he was talking about public speaking. But, that same principle applies to marketing your business, too — because marketing is partially about getting your message across.

If you want your business to be memorable, and for your message to reach as many people as possible and persuade them to buy, learn to tell stories around your business.

Naturally, in my column I tell a story to get my point across — a story about fuzzy bunny slippers. Read: How Fuzzy Bunny Slippers Can Grow Your Business.

Tell Stories and Improve Your Marketing [Small Business Trends]

• 0 Comments

  

YoungEntrepreneur: Ten Commandments of Sales:

1) Never take no for an answer

2) Give value first

3) Treat all customers like family

4) Always tell the trth

5) Prospect everyday

6) Keep a positive attitude

7) Return every phone call & email

8) Underpromise & Overdeliver

9) Never make an excuse for your price

10) Keep the faith

What do you think of the list? What would make your top ten list of commandments for sales?

The Ten Commandments of Sales [YoungEntrepreneur]

• 1 Comments

  

Business Pundit: 23-cent Pizzas… Are you kidding me? You can’t even get a White Castle hamburger for that. However, yesterday in Ohio 86 Papa John’s Pizza stores decided to sell 23-cent pizzas as a truce after they agreed to offer a franchise in Washington D.C. t-shirts calling LeBron James a “CRYBABY.” This was in response to the Cleveland Cavaliers star complaining about hard fouls during a NBA playoff series that was with the Washington Wizards.

The idea of the 23-cent pizza was a way to make up with the Cleveland area fans and honor James by selling pizza for the same price as LaBron’s jersey number, 23. Papa John’s planned on selling more the 75,000 pizzas.

The promotion had crowds standing for hours in extremely long lines waiting for the 23-cent pepperoni pizza. While everything went off without a lot of pandemonium, there were scores of complaints about the wait and line cutting.

The good that came out of this promotion is that all the money went to the LaBron James Family Foundation.

What are your thoughts?

Do you think this was a good idea?
Do you think Papa John’s saved face or were people just taking advantage of a deal?
In your opinion, will this charade have any long effect for Papa John’s?
Was this just another marketing gimmick based on controversy?

23-Cent Pizza: Good Idea or Bad Promotion? [Business Pundit]

• 0 Comments

  

There are many ways to market a home-based business. But one of the simplest ways is to use an every day business tool - email. By using these five easy tips you'll see how easily your business can grow without much effort on your part.

1. Use a Professional Signature - This is an important tip to use on every email that you send. Even your friends may not always remember your website address or business phone number and will quickly look to an old e-mail to look it up.

When preparing an email signature it's important to include Your Name, Company Name, and your Physical Address or Website Address. You may also include your phone number. Below is a sample Email signature:

Jill Hart 888-241-0990 Christian Work at Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com

The signature is simple, easy to read and includes a link directly to my website. It is very important to include the http:// before the website address because many email programs will not link the text to your website without this (it will appear as text - not a link).

Also, make sure that you double check that you have your website correct. Often times I've found that people have their website wrong by inverting a letter or two and aren't aware of it. It cannot only lead to a loss of a sale, but it shows less professionalism on your part.

You can also use a virtual business card as your signature. You can design and purchase your own virtual business card at http://www.vistaprint.com. There is a very small cost - less than $2.00 for this professional looking virtual signature file.

2. Find a "Signature Buddy" - This is an easy and cost-free way to spread the word about your business. Ask a colleague or friend if they will "swap" a line in their signature with you. You will add a line at the bottom of your signature with a link to their business and they will do the same.

Jill Hart 888-241-0990 Christian Work at Home Moms http://www.cwahm.com

Publishing and book marketing - http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com/

The signature "swap" can be as simple as a line (as above) or as much as a 2 - 3 line testimony of why you're recommending this link. You can find a permanent signature "buddy" or change it weekly or monthly.

3. Send Email Coupons - This is a great way to network using email. Send a special coupon by email that is available only for those that receive your emails. You can also extend this to a newsletter if you have one. Offer a special coupon for anyone who signs up for your newsletter!

You can send other specials by email as well - special offers, free gifts, ebooks, etc. There are many ways that you can utilize your email to bless your customers and colleagues.

4. Create a Custom Background for your Email - This is easier to do than it sounds. If you are using Microsoft Outlook or a similar program, you can find directions on creating your own custom signature online at places like http://www.mailmsg.com/outlookstationary.htm.

Custom email stationary can take a plain email and make it look professional. I include my logo and my website name in my custom background. Be sure to make the picture "light," so that it does not compete with the text of the emails you'll be sending.

5. Send Thank You Emails - In this day and age it is very acceptable to send a Thank You card via email. This is an easy way to thank customers, advertisers, and even newsletter subscribers.

You can create you own Thank You or use a program like Yahoo! Greetings. Many of these programs have free e-cards that you can send as well as a paid version with additional designs. Another great place is Hallmark.com where you can get customized greeting e-cards for any occasion, free. It's a great way to remember your client's birthdays or perhaps a special day in their business.

You can even set up an auto-responder to send the Thank You automatically. There are many auto-responder programs for you to choose from and many website hosting companies will provide you with one, you'll just need to go in and set it up.

One great thing about an auto-responder is that you can set up when the email will be sent, what will "trigger" the auto-responder and what the email will say. This way, any time you receive an order, the customer receives an email immediately, even if you're not available.

One downfall to auto-responders is that they can seem impersonal. However, you can overcome this by taking the time to write a personal note to your customers and use this as the auto-responder email.

Can you see how beneficial e-mails can be for your business? When you use a professional looking signature, find a "buddy" to swap lines in your signature, personalize your email background, use auto-responders and any other items that you are able to customize, you'll never look at email the same way again. Marketing can be inexpensive and effective when you know the right ways to do it.

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. She graduated from Grace University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies/Bible. Jill has worked from since 2000 and started her own home-based business to assist other Christians who desire to work from home while maintaining a godly life.

• 2 Comments

  

For most small businesses, all marketing is local marketing — as it should be. But even if your company is regional or national in scope, it's a good idea to "go local" to select, targeted communities.

The keys to effective community marketing can be summed up with three guidelines:

1. Get local: target your marketing efforts down to the neighborhood level

2. Get involved: participate in the community to generate visibility and good will

3. Get personal: as much as possible, market on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis

Here are some tips and techniques to get you started:

Use local city-specific Web sites and local portals

City and town Web sites, as well as local versions of major portals, are growing in number and popularity. Maintain a presence on local sites by providing content — or by advertising. In addition to local versions of AOL's Cityguide, community-oriented Web sites like Yelp.com and Judysbook.com (which has the added advantage of covering suburbs and small towns in addition to major cities) are becoming more common.

Use local search engines and directories

Make sure you're listed with local search engines and city-specific directories. Local.com and CitySearch are two such search engines. A newer, but more "hyper-local" site is Backfence.com.

Set your Google ad to appear locally

If you operate a local business and advertise on Google, you can target local customers only.
Google lets you set ads to appear only to people in a particular city, state or region. In the AdWords section, click on "For local businesses" under "How it works."

Get involved in your community

Volunteer, serve on local boards, participate in your local Chamber of Commerce and work for local charities as a way to grow your grassroots marketing efforts. You may find that your neighbors become your customers. For volunteer opportunities, visit idealist.org, The United Way, or Rotary International.

Support community events

Take your community involvement one step further by supporting community events. Sponsor a Little League team, participate in parades, town days or other local events. Small business associations such as SCORE offer tips for establishing a strong presence in your local community. Suggestions include starting a local newsletter or creating a local advisory board made up of customers. John Jantsch's "Duct Tape Marketing" blog's "In your own backyard" section is insightful as well.

Make the most of local media and publicity opportunities

Generate awareness for your business locally by writing op-eds in the local newspaper, getting booked on local radio talk shows, and advertising in the good, old-fashioned Yellow Pages. Online community Craigslist continues to be a great local resource. For help getting booked on radio talk shows and otherwise generating local publicity, seek out the services of a good local public relations consultant by searching the directory of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Other local marketing options to keep in mind…

• Explore cause-related marketing opportunities to generate good will for your company.

• Consider taping a TV show on your local public access station — it's usually free.

• Give your Web site or blog a local focus or start a local blog.

• Develop a customer advisory board to get input from local customers.

• Create alliances with non-competing businesses — you promote me, I'll promote you.

Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.

• 1 Comments

  

If you're like many entrepreneurs, the thought of marketing makes you slightly sick to your stomach. And it's more then a simple like or dislike of marketing, it's the idea of trying to fit it into your to-do list. You already have a million things going on, how can you possibly fit marketing in?

So, instead, you end up not doing anything...until you run out of work that is. Then you desperately race around, trying to cram as much marketing as possible into as short amount of time as possible to try and ramp up your business.

Business picks up, you stop marketing again.

As I'm sure you already know, this isn't a great way to grow a business on any level. But what do you do? You're already overwhelmed with everything you have to do in your business, not to mention everything you have to do in your life, so how can you possibly fit marketing into that?

Never fear, that's what the below 3 tips are designed to do, get you out of marketing overwhelm and into marketing superstar.

1. Make marketing a priority.

Okay, don't stop reading yet. This one might be tough to swallow but it has to be said. Marketing your business HAS to be a priority. If it's not, then you will doom yourself to a "feast or famine" business model (where you oscillate between too many and too few clients, and because you're in a constant roller coaster, you can never get enough traction to actually start growing your business).

But, I can hear you say, my priority needs to be on getting the work done. That's what my clients are paying me for, and because they're paying, then they have to be my top priority.

My response to that is well, not exactly. You're right, you need to get the work done, and do a good job, or you're going to run out of income pretty quickly. But, if you trade doing the client work over marketing, then you're never going to get ahead.

(And, to be honest, it's not fair to your clients either to have you constantly stressed about your business because you don't know what's in the pipeline. You owe it to yourself AND your clients to have a successful, thriving business.)

You need to have the mindset that marketing your business is JUST as important as doing the client work. Without the marketing, you WILL always struggle.

However, with that said, there's no need to panic because...

2. You don't have to do it all alone.

There's no law that says just because marketing is a priority means you need to do everything yourself. You can (and should) build a team. In fact, I would go one step further and tell you your team can ALSO help you with client work or admin work or just about anything.

Now with marketing, as with anything, there will probably be tasks you need to do yourself. But there will be many tasks you can easily outsource. The trick is to figure out what tasks you really need to do (and make time to do them) then outsource the rest.

But, I can hear you saying, what if I don't have the cash flow to outsource? See, that's the beauty of outsourcing marketing. There's a very clear ROI. So let's say one new client is worth $500 a month. Do you think regular marketing will bring you at least one new client? Of course. So maybe you set aside $250 a month for a virtual assistant to help you with some marketing tasks, knowing one new client will more than pay for your VA and any more clients above and beyond will be gravy.

(If you need help with marketing strategy to know what to outsource, drop me an email. I create marketing strategies for my clients, as well as do the work for them.)

3. Start small.

This is what I did in my own business. You'll notice I have a lot of marketing tasks going on right now -- I have my newsletter, I blog, I podcast, I'm on social networking sites, I'm doing direct mail. I didn't wake up one morning and say "I'm going to start everything today." No, I did things one at a time. I started with my newsletter, then I added blogging, then podcasting, then social networking, etc. After I mastered one task, I went on to add another. So my marketing wouldn't seem so overwhelming to me.

But remember, the biggest thing is to actually DO something. Start taking some action in your marketing, and the rest of the pieces should start to fall into place.

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients, selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com.

• 0 Comments

  

Most sales people hate to cold call. It is frequently considered by many to be the single most stressful part of selling. So much so that many people have given up this noble and proud profession for non-selling positions. There are actually several reasons why sales reps consider cold calling one step below getting a root canal.

Fear of rejection is one of the biggest reasons reps dislike cold calling. After all, who wants to be told “no” all day long? However, there are other reasons that add to the disdain, including not wanting to bother anyone (the “telemarketing” syndrome), gatekeeper resistance, lack of confidence (in themselves, their product, their company, etc.), or they just don’t know how to do it. While these reason are understandable, they are all symptoms rather than causes.

In understanding that we don’t like to cold call, we also have to understand why we have call reluctance. For instance, we may not like rejection, but the reason we are rejected is that we are not approaching it the right way. Or, we get resistance from the gatekeeper or feel like we are bothering people because, again, we aren’t equipped with the skills to perform the duty properly so that we don’t get rejected or bother people.

It comes down to Will and Skill. We, as human beings prone to human nature, avoid things we are not good at, and thus lose the will. If we are good at something we will be more inclined to do it. Hence, when we improve our skills, our will improves proportionately. So, it’s important to understand why we have call reluctance – what are our challenges and why we are reluctant.

Why Cold Calling is Important

Before proceeding with recommendations on how to improve your cold calling, let’s review why cold calling is important. A customer’s buying and decision making process usually goes through several steps. First, they realize they have a problem and identify what the problem is. Second, they calculate the costs associated with the problem. Third, they evaluate alternatives. These first three steps comprise the “Planning Stage”. The next stage is the “Evaluation Stage”. In this stage they talk to vendors to consider alternatives. Once that’s done, they decide on a vendor and move on.

When the customer reaches the Evaluation Stage, to a certain extent they already decided on the approach they want to take. But what if that approach isn’t the right one for them? Or, what if their approach includes preconceived notions that would preclude you from being a contender for their business? When you call them, it’s already too late. You’ve had no inputs into their Planning Stage. As a result, you could be chasing their biases and forgone conclusions when, in fact, they are already leaning in another direction. This is what often happens when you get an RFP (Request For Proposal). The RFP is “wired” to another vendor or at least includes questions that reflect the customer’s biases to another solution. You end up wasting a lot of time responding with your proposal only to find they really knew whom they were choosing all along. If, on the other hand, you caught them in the Planning Stage and positioned yourself as a valued partner, then you could help them in identifying their problems AND alternative solutions.

Now what if you do catch someone in the Planning Stages, but they don’t know they are in that stage yet. In other words, they know they have a problem, but they haven’t consciously decided to do something about it. This is actually a perfect time for a cold call, assuming you handle it correctly. Here is how not to call someone in this situation. Sales Rep: “Hi, my name is Fred Johnson of Acme Software. My company helps businesses with their accounting problems. I was wondering if you had any accounting problems.” Prospect: “No! But thanks for calling. Bye.” Of course they’re going to say no, because they aren’t aware or sure they actually have problems, and hence they don’t have a need for you. Also, you haven’t shown them that you care about their problems. Instead, you simply came across as someone who only cares about selling them something.

If you approached this differently, you could get invited in to help them identify their core issues and explore alternatives. But you can’t come across on the initial cold call as if you are selling something. Instead, you need to position yourself as a trusted advisor by asking the right questions, listening to their answers, and proposing how you might be able to help with the exact pains they just described to you. A better dialogue might be, "Hi I'm Fred Johnson with Acme Software. We specialize in helping businesses improve their customer acquisition and retention. I was calling to see how important improving sales and customer retention are to your business. Do you have a moment for a few questions?"

Be a Boy Scout – Always Be Prepared

You help improve your cold calling by being prepared. We all get calls from sales people who clearly are unprepared and embarrass themselves by trying to “lower your phone bills” when they don’t even know how much you are currently paying for your phone bills. Or they try to sell you office equipment when you work in a shared-office environment and don’t purchase this sort of equipment.

Like most things I do, I have a process, and cold calling is no different. Your cold calling process includes the steps, reasons and outcomes for every call. To begin with, you should always have a clear purpose for the call – Why are you calling? Next, have a goal – What is your desired outcome? Is it to make a sale, schedule a meeting, or get introduced to the decision maker? You also have to remember that in order to get your prospect’s interest, you have to appeal to their needs, wants and desires. So remember WIIFM - What’s In It For Me? Of course, the “Me” in this case is your prospect. Make sure your discussions make it clear that everything you are asking has to do with helping their problem, not with you making a sale.

You also don’t want to preach. This is what those annoying telemarketers do. They “tell” you what it’s all about and try to lead you down their path, which is to buy something, instead of asking what ails you. The key to doing this effectively is to ask questions about the prospect, such as what is currently not working for them, how much it is costing them to continue in this mode of operation, what happens if nothing changes, etc. It helps to use a script as well. Now I’m not suggesting you read from a script. What I mean is write down bullets on the points and questions you want to ask and use that as a guideline so you don’t drift off and digress from your goal. A good script should help you organize your thoughts and keep you on track. It will also help you discuss benefits rather than features.

You should always “warm up” your cold calls by doing research in advance. It is very easy to learn all about a company via the Internet. Read about their company’s background and products. Read their press releases and annual reports. Then when you call, you can refer to something significant about their business which helps break the ice and shows you are interested in them. And, don’t give up. These days it takes 6 to seven calls, maybe more, to get through to someone. The average sales rep gives up after 2 to three calls, not even half-way there. Perseverance is the key.

It also helps to profile your prospects before calling. Know who buys your product, when they buy it, how they buy it, and more. What is their profile? Are they affluent males between the ages of 35 and 49? Are they businesses with less than 100 employees and located in one facility? Are they departments within businesses who can’t readily get the services they need from their corporate offices? Once you know this, you can rank your call list and call the “A” players first, those who match your profile the best. If you use technology to help keep track of this information, which you should, then organize your call list, schedule your follow-ups, and manage your day. You will find that you will be more efficient, effective and successful.

Develop a Call Quota

Finally, as part of your cold calling process, remember not to take “No” personally. They are rejecting your offer, company or product, but not you personally (unless, of course, you upset them, in which case you deserve to take it personally). Accept the fact that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. You’re not going to succeed with every call. So don’t set yourself up for disappointment every time someone says they don’t want to meet with you. To help with this, give yourself a “Call Quota”. This is not a quota for how many calls you should make in a day. This involves knowing how many “No’s” it takes to get to a “Yes”.

Let’s say your revenue goal is $100,000. and the average client spends $5,000. To reach your goal, you’ll need 20 new clients. If your close ratio is 25%, you’ll need to call 80 new Prospects, because 25% of 80 is 20, the number of new clients you need. So, with this simple information, simply remember that 60 of those calls will be No. Your goal then is to find the 20 Yes’s and the 60 No’s shouldn’t bother you because you are expecting them.

Cold Calling doesn’t have to be the dreaded, avoid-at-any-cost chore that many sales reps make it out to be. With proper training and planning, it is actually fun and a very necessary step in beginning your sales process.

Good luck and good selling!

Russ Lombardo is President of PEAK Sales Consulting, LLC and an experienced CRM and Sales consultant, trainer, writer, speaker and radio show host. Russ works with businesses to help improve their customer acquisition and retention for increased revenue and success. Russ is author of the books, "CyberSelling", "CRM For The Common Man" and "Smart Marketing". He can be reached at 702-655-5652 and emailed at russ@peaksalesconsulting.com.

• 0 Comments

  

The promise of technology has always been the magnification of human activity. Technology allows us to do more in less time and at lower cost.

Marketing is not sales but it leads to sales. The purpose of marketing is to get/keep customers interested in your product/service. It’s all about staying in front of the customer in a constant and positive way.

It’s a busy world and even those customers who need, want and know about your product/service may space you out without constant and positive contact.

This article is about how you can use the internet to generate interest in your product/service in less time and at lower cost.

Old Time Marketing

Before the internet and email there were mass mailings of brochures, newsletters, and other printed materials. Mailings were and are a lot of work, they’re expensive and there always seems to be a problem with the printer (commercial not mechanical), problems which drive up costs. And then 98% plus of mailings end up unread and in the trash, what a waste.

Sponsoring a bowling team or 5K run is another traditional way to market; if your customers bowl and run. Pens and coffee cups are a good way to stay in front of people. I once sent out some very nice coffee cups to clients and centers of influence only to have a man, who’s been a great source of business, call and say, “I love the coffee cup; but did you have to put your mug on the mug?”

New Time Marketing

Websites are great, sometimes. To be successful business websites must have two things; compelling content and traffic. Compelling content includes things like ease of navigation, good color, quick loading time and buttons that work. And something of interest/value to the user/visitor when and if they get where they want to go on the site. Traffic is critical. The best site with the most compelling content is worthless without traffic.

Listing/registering your web site and its key words with search engines is like running ads in the phone books; if and when someone searches for a key word that matches your key words they may find your site on a list of sites. It used to be that those sites with the most hits/visits were listed first, but no more. Top listing is for sale or rent, but that’s ok because “top listing” is just the tip of the iceberg anyway.

A Word on Search Engines

What would you find if you did a search for “search engines” and then did the same search on all the “search engines” that come up? “Larger fleas have smaller fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em and smaller fleas yet even smaller fleas and so on infinitum.”

The Iceberg Internet Marketing Model

Top listing and registering sites and key words are all good, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to pulling traffic to your site. Where internet marketing comes into its own is in that area below the waterline, below search engine listings.

There are thousands of e-zines (electronic magazines), hard copy magazines/newspapers and broadcasters of all types, with an on line presence, that deal with every subject you can imagine. Determine what kind of pubs your customers read, listen to, watch and make up a group email list. Access as many search engines as you can and harvest names and e-mail addresses and then set up a group for your pub-list. E-mailing pubs is not spamming because they want input and content, they’re pubs. E-mail lists for pubs are also available for purchase or rent if you don’t want to harvest.

Alliances are arrangements with other websites whereby they provide a link to your website. First, determine what associations, business groups, newsgroups and non-competing companies with whom your customers have contact. Next, harvest, rent or buy names and e-mail addresses. Your first e-mail to your alliance list should be a short introduction and proposal offering to provide content for their site if in return they provide a link to your site. Always have a statement on all group e-mails giving the receiver an easy way off the list.

The last component of the Iceberg Internet Marketing Model is a list of those who have asked to be on your e-mail list. Make it easy, no long forms, for people to get on your list, and get off.

Once you have your lists, you’re ready to send out articles, press releases, information of interest. All with your website address given, or better still, linked.

In Summary

Ever since we figured out how to use a rock to crush bones or nuts, and how to use a stick to extend our reach, we’ve been on the ever changing road of technology. The way to make money with new technology is not to reinvent the wheel by coming up with something brand new; it’s by doing more in less time and at lower cost.

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

• 0 Comments

  

I love racquetball. I played racquetball for over 18 years, very aggressively and very competitively. It's great exercise and a perfect way to let out your aggressions and stress. That's why I was so upset when my health club decided to forgo customer retention and worry about their own singular requirement - Getting new customers! Yes, I'm actually going to teach a customer retention lesson by discussing my racquetball experience.

I've been a member of this club for about 15 years. I was part of a league that played two times per week for 2-hours each night. There were roughly thirty members on this league and we were all friends and competed in a sociable and pleasant environment. The average tenure of the members of this league was about 10 years of racquetball experience at this club. Not all league members showed up each night. But typically anywhere between twenty and twenty-four would show up at any one time, which means we would fill up most of the courts with continuous singles games (one-on-one).

Then one day they closed down two of the 12 courts so they could expand their workout room. They added state of the art weight lifting equipment and hoped their existing body building clients would tell their friends and increase business. We weren't pleased, but at least we had 10 other courts to play on; enough to keep us all playing the full two hours without having to wait turns. Judging by the additional grunts and groans we heard coming from that new area, it seemed their plan worked. But I must admit that over time it seemed like the noise was ceasing and their increased business had waned. In the meantime, we loyal racquetball members continued to show up twice a week, every week, every year, paying our dues and buying supplies, soft drinks, and other miscellaneous purchases.

Then the owners decided to take over 2 more courts to build an aerobics gym with a climbing wall, dance area, and a few other amenities to attract new customers, at the expense of their existing racquetball members. Within a year, this new facility was as vacant as an atomic bomb testing ground. It was hardly ever used. And yes, we loyal racquetball members continued to spend our money at their club, which by the way, was the only club in town. Unfortunately, there were only 8 courts left and it started affecting our playing time since we now had to compete for court time and even started playing doubles (two-on-two) in order to get a chance to play at all.

A couple years after that they closed down another court to convert it into a Spinning room. Spinning is some sort of specialized stationary bike where you peddle your way to better health and fitness. Again, this was to bring in new health club members, at the expense of their existing loyal racquetball members, and again it flopped. Within 6 months the room remained dark and spun it's way into oblivion. But we loyal racquetball members kept coming week after week, without fail, spending our money in the only club in town, which now had only seven courts. They obviously hadn't re-converted any of these stolen courts so we could use them once again for racquetball. So they remained fallow.

As time went on, two more courts were closed due to damage. The owners said they didn't have funds to repair them. So we were forced to play in the 5 remaining courts. Needless to say, we were very unhappy. We could only play doubles and we frequently had to take turns since there weren't enough courts for us all to play at one time.

In year 15 of my playing at that club, we all arrived one night to the news that the owners were building a brand new health club less than a mile down the road and will be closing this older club once the new one opens. It would be three times the size with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including an Olympic-sized pool. Well this indeed sounded like good news, at last. What sounded even better was the offer for existing members to get free membership into this new club for the first year it was open. They'd transfer our membership and we'd get to use all the facilities for a year at no extra charge. Now, I must say that we ONLY played racquetball at the original club. None of us used any of the other facilities there. And this was unlikely to change, new club or not. So naturally, guess what our single question was to the owners when they told us all this good news? How many racquetball courts will the new club have? Answer - Zero!

We were devastated. Naturally, we complained but to no avail. Our only recourse was to join another club with racquetball courts. Unfortunately, that was all the way in the next town. My 8-minute ride twice per week turned into a 40-minute ride to a club that was older, dirtier, and more expensive. But at least we could continue playing our preferred sport. Ultimately, I moved out of state and it didn't matter any more, except that I am now a little heavier and have strained breathing when I go up a flight of stairs.

So what's the moral of this story? These business owners tried desperately for years to increase their business with fads and gimmicks to draw in new customers. However, they forgot their bread and butter customers - us loyal racquetball fans. We spent a lot of money at their club over the years and were a consistent revenue stream for them. Even when they continued to do things that harmed their relationship with us, we remained loyal. Of course that goes to show you that this sort of loyalty wasn't good. It's called "your the only show in town so I have to be loyal to you" loyalty. And perhaps that's what they thought - that since they were the only show in town, they could afford to take us for granted. So they eventually lost 30 good customers, instantly.

Are you taking your customers for granted? Are you ignoring your loyal clients? Are you making changes to your business and it's future direction without considering what affects it might have on your existing customers? You obviously need to acquire new customers. That's understandable. But I hope you aren't doing what too many other businesses do - acquire new customers while negatively affecting the retention of your existing ones. It costs up to seven to 10 times more to acquire a new customer than to sell to an existing one. With the increasing costs of marketing and selling, this shouldn't be a surprise. So why don't more businesses curtail some of these expensive acquisition practices and focus more on retention strategies? I don't know. Maybe they need to get hit in the head with a racquetball a couple times to knock some sense into them. Or maybe they should give us a call so we can show them how to do this the right way.

Don't forget your existing customers and they won't forget you!

Good luck and good selling!

Russ Lombardo is President of PEAK Sales Consulting, LLC and an experienced CRM and Sales consultant, trainer, writer, speaker and radio show host. Russ works with businesses to help improve their customer acquisition and retention for increased revenue and success. Russ is author of the books, "CyberSelling", "CRM For The Common Man" and "Smart Marketing". He can be reached at 702-655-5652 and emailed at russ@peaksalesconsulting.com.

• 1 Comments

  

When someone asks you about what you do, do you have a ready answer? Or do you stumble and stammer trying to explain your business?

I was recently at a writer’s conference where one of the main focuses was learning to create a successful book pitch. My instructor emphasized what a good pitch can do for a writer. She explained that when an editor asks an author about their writing project, they have one shot at sharing their pitch and getting the editor excited about their project. A great pitch makes a great first impression and can translate into a book contract. On the other hand, a pitch that is not well thought out can cost an author the chance of selling that project.

A good book pitch is a summary of the author’s idea, but more than that it’s a summary with a sizzle. At the conference, I learned that many authors spend hours crafting and memorizing their pitch. Then, when asked about their project, they are able to give a quick, concise synopsis that not only explains their idea, but makes the editor want to learn more.

I believe that the concept of creating a pitch can also apply to the home-based business world. As entrepreneurs, we can put together a summary of our business that will not only explain what we do, but grab the attention of whomever we’re speaking with.

A good business pitch summarizes the business concept in one to two short paragraphs, usually a total of 50 words or less. To begin, write out a list of the five most compelling aspects of your business. Try to think about your business as if you were on the outside looking in. What would interest you? What would make you want to learn more?

Try to answer these questions:

• Who is my target market?
• What are my top selling products/services?
• What about my company makes it stand out? If I were looking at starting a business, what would interest me about this company?
• Why did I choose this company?

Put your answers into sentences and you have the beginning of your business pitch. Try to keep your sentences short and use simple words. You want anyone who asks to be able to understand your answer, not get lost in your words. Take special care to describe what you like about your business. These same things will generally appeal to others as well.

While you want to keep your pitch simple, you also want it to give a picture of your business. Let’s say, for example, that you run health and wellness business. You wouldn’t want to use the statement, “I run a health and wellness business,” as a reply about what it is that you do. You want to add in a short description and catch the listener’s attention. For instance, you might say, “I operate my own business. We offer products such as chemical-free shampoo and natural snack foods to help others lead healthy lives.”

When I began my website, I was often caught off-guard when someone asked me about it. I would fumble for words and struggle to express exactly what it is that I do all day. I usually walked away from conversations like this feeling frustrated, and I’m sure the person I was speaking with was more confused than they were originally.

After learning the art of pitching, I can now give a short and snappy reply. “I run a Christian-based website for work-at-home moms,” I’ll say. “I offer resources to help them in their search and am able to make an income by offering advertising.” This usually leads to more questions about my website, which is exactly what I hope for. It gives me an opportunity to talk further about my business to those who are interested.

The next time someone asks you about your home-based business, remember to share your pitch with them. Take the time to hone your pitch to be as short, yet descriptive as possible. Over time, you’ll find yourself refining your words and your answers will become well-crafted summaries that pique the interest of anyone who asks. Word of mouth is one of the easiest ways to build your business and your pitch is a great way to get others talking.

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. She graduated from Grace University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies/Bible. Jill has worked from since 2000 and started her own home-based business to assist other Christians who desire to work from home while maintaining a godly life.

• 0 Comments